PRINCETON,  N.  J 


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^^^® 


THE  DIVINE  KEY 

OF  THE 

Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ. 


^  PRIMERS  ON  PROPHECY  % 

^  BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  g: 

:§        The  Divine  Key  of  Revelation.        ^ 
^ fc. 

^    The  Abomination  of  Desolation,"  i 

■^"  The  World's  Great  Sign  of  the  Time  .  ^ 

^  A  Scriptural  and  historical  showing  of  what  the  "Abom-   ^ 

■^  inatiou  of  Desolation  "  (Matt.  xxiv.  15)  is,  ard  what  it  is   J^ 

ti  not  :  That  it  was  not  the  pagan  Roman  Army  destroying   s?" 

^  the  City  of  Jerusalem,  in  A.  D.,  70  ;  but  the  papal  Roman    ^ 

•sS  Power   destroying    the  "  SAINTS  "    in  the   Dark   Ages.    ^ 

jj  Diagrams  are  given  illustrating  the  thread  of  Jesus'  two   ^ 

^  great  discourses:    First,  In  the  Temple   (lyuke   xxi.)  ;   ^ 

^      Second,  On  the  Mount  of  Olives  (Matt.  xxiv).  ^ 

il  It 

■71    Thirty-eight  large  pages.         Third  Thousand.  Price,  fen  cents.    iiV 

^  Iff 

:§  An  AnaIvYTicai,  Exposition  of  the  Parable  jk 

^  OF  THK  RICH  MAN  AND  LAZARUS;  t 

^  OR ««• 

^  What  Jesus  Taught  the  Jews.  f 

.55  .  ^ 

"^  A  Booklet  giving   a   thoroughly   Scriptural  Analys  s  and    j^ 

"^  Exposition  of  the  Twelve  elementary  Characters  and   ^ 

^  Conditions  comprised  in  the  Lord's  Parable,  and  showng   ^ 

■^  that  it  relates  toJUDGMENTS  on  the  Jews  in  rejecting   fe 

.>i  Jesus,  and  Gkace  to  the  Gentiles  in  receiving  Him —   k, 

^  all  in  This  Dispensation  ;  and  not  to  a  future  or  After-   ^ 

^  Death  torment.                                                                            ^ 

%t  Ninety=six  pages.              Third  Thousand.              Price,  fifteen  cents,    ^sr 

^  Price  of  The  Divine  Key  of  Revelation,  $1.00  ;  u 


% 


Postage,  10  cents. 

Address : 


WILLIA/Vl   E.  BROWN,  it 

>s  1725  Edgely  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  ^ 

•Ji  OR i^^ 

^  HERALD  OF  LIFE,  | 

^  Springfield,  Mass.  ^ 


THE  DIVINE  KEY 


Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ, 


AS  GIVEN  TO 


John,  the  Seer  of  Patmos. 

BEIPfG    AN   ANALYTICAL   EXPOSITION   OF   ITS   THREE 
GREAT  SERIAL  PROPHECIES  : 

I.  The  Seven  Golden  Candlesticks,  or  Asian  Churches. 

II.  The  Seven  Symbolic  Seals. 

111.  The  Seven  Symbolic  Trumpets. 

AND   SHOWING    THAT    EACH    SERIES    EMBRACES    EVENTS    WHICH 
COVER  THE  ENTIRE  GOSPEL  DISPENSATION.    WITH  CHRO- 
NOLOGICAL DIAGRAM,  IN  COLORS,   HARMONIZ- 
ING THE  THREE  SEPTENARY  LINES. 


WILLIAM  EUGENE  BROWN. 

Author  of  "  The  Abomination  of  Desolation,   The  World's  Great 

Sign  of  the  Times,'"  and  "■An  Analytical  Exposition 

of  the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus,  or  What 

Jesus  Taught  the  Jewsy 


^' All  Scripture  given,  by  inspiration  is  profitable." — Paul. 

"Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  thev  that  hear  the  words  of  this  Prophecy,  and  keep 
the  things  which  are  ivritten  therein,  for  the  time  is  at  hand." — fesus. 


SPRINGFIELD,  MASS.: 

Herald   of   Life    Office 

PHrLADELPHIA,  PA.: 

VV.  E.  Bkuwn,  1725  Edgely  Street. 

1897. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1897, 

By  William  Eugene  Brown, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


PHILADf;LPHIA,  PA.  : 
GEO.  F.  LASHER,  PRINTER  AND  BINDER, 
147-51  N.  Tenth  Street. 
1897. 


PREFACE 


yC   MONG  the  various  sentiments  which  incite  intel- 

/  \         Hgent  persons  to  the  perusal  of  a  new  book,  an 

V^  earnest  love  of  Bible   truth — a  willingness   to 

' '  prove  all  things  ' '  and  ' '  hold  fast  that  which  is  good  " — 

is  that  to  which  the  present  attempted  exposition  of   a 

portion  of  the  Apocalypse  makes  its  appeal. 

In  the  introductory  chapter  are  stated  the  grounds  for 
my  conviction  that  the  Revelation  proper  (not  the  entire 
Book)  is  wholly  symbolic.  The  establishment  of  this 
point  I  regard  as  of  fundamental  importance  in  reaching  any 
clear  and  legitimate  conclusions.  The  reasons  urged  in  its 
support,  its  uniform  application  in  detail  throughout  the 
three  visions  canvassed,  and  the  resulting  beautiful 
harmony,  must  speak  for  themselves.  Of  their  imperfect 
presentation  I  am  deeply  sensible,  and  on  that  score  I 
sincerely  crave  the  indulgence  of  my  readers,  specially  of 
those  whose  critical  acumen  is  sure  to  detect  blemishes. 

It  was  my  original  intention  to  comprise  in  one  volume 
the  twenty-two  chapters  of  the  Revelation.  But  means 
were  lacking  for  so  large  an  undertaking ;  and,  to  avoid  the 
greater  delay  in  publication,  I  found  it  convenient  to  close 
with  the  end  of  the  eleventh  chapter,  thus  covering  one- 
half  the  book.  This  portion  contains  the  three  great  serial 
lines — the  Seven  Golden  Candlesticks,  the  Seven  Seals  and 
the  Seven  Trumpets — three  prophetic  highways  across  the 
symbolic  continent,  from  Advent  to  Advent.     These  three 


2  PRKFACE. 

chains  of  symbols  are,  each  in  itself,  entirely  distinct  and 
complete.  Studied  together,  there  is  a  perfect  textual 
harmony,  and  a  synchronism  aa  accurate  as  the  most  rigid 
interpreter  would  require.  The  whole  affords  a  view  which 
will  render  comparatively  easy  an  explanation  of  the  last 
eleven  chapters  of  the  Revelation  ;  inasmuch  as  the  remain- 
ing symbols  pertain,  each,  to  some  part  of  the  ground 
already  thrice  canvassed,  and  fall  obviously  into  their 
proper  places  and  the  general  harmony. 

The  possibility  of  a  harmony  so  complete  among 
the  dissimilar  symbols  of  this  portion  of  Holy  Writ, 
coming  from  the  application  of  an  exclusively  symbolic 
interpretation,  inspires  the  strong  confidence  I  have  ex- 
pressed in  giving  this  exposition  to  the  Christian  public. 
I  have  called  it.  The  Divine  Key  <7/"(not  to)  the  Revelation , 
because,  as  I  conceive,  and  have  attempted  to  demonstrate, 
it  is  furnished  by  the  revelation.  A  study  of  the  Chrono- 
logical Diagram  accompanying  the  exposition,  in  order,  as 
its  several  divisions  are  elaborated,  will  disclose  additional 
reasons  for  this  assurance.  And  I  cannot  too  strongly 
urge  upon  the  attention  of  my  readers  the  importance  of 
thorough  familiarity  with  the  symbols,  as  they  are  divinely 
portrayed  to  us,  in  detail;  for  herein  has  the  Holy  Spirit 
largely  placed  the  power  :  it  is  the  arrangement,  the 
grouping,  the  relationships  of  the  various  living  creatures, 
horses,  riders,  etc.,  principally,  which  makes  the  revelation ; 
and  it  is  the  undei standing  and  application  of  these — the 
revelation  itself — which  brings  the  blessing  sought. 

But  perhaps  it  .should  be  suggested,  if  not  with  some 
emphasis,  that,  in  reading  an  expository  work  of  this  kind, 
where  differences  of  opinion  are  sure  to  antagonize  at 
points,  there  should  be  the  most  calm  deliberation  of 
thought,  and  a  complete  reading  up  to  and  past  those 
points,  (if  not  first  the  entire  exposition, )  before  even  in 


prejpace;.  3 

mind,  one  arrays  and  asserts  the  objections  which  may 
afterwards  be  very  properly,  more  fairly,  and  more  safely 
put  forth.  Let  another's  position  be  fully  understood, 
then  intelligently  judge  it  by  the  aid  of  an  enlightened 
judgment  and  reason,  and  by  the  infallible  Word  of  the 
Lord.  Fair  criticism  and  corrections  forwarded  to  the 
author's  address,  will  receive  his  most  careful  considera- 
tion. And  should  any  truly  felt  commendation,  by  way 
of  endorsement,  inspire  a  communication  in  the  interests 
of  truth  and  those  who  seek  it,  it  might  prove  an  earnest 
of  reward  after  the  labor  incident  to  the  preparation  of 
such  a  work  for  the  public. 

May  the  blessing  of  God  attend  the  reading  of  this 
volume.  May  Christ  sanctify  to  each  reader  all  of  truth 
that  it  contains.  And  may  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
avert  the  deleterious  effects  of  any  misconceptions  which 
may  mar  its  pages.  W.  E.  B. 

Philadelphia,  Pa., 

1725  Edgely  St.,  August,  1897. 


CONTENTS, 


PART  FIRST. 


CHAPTER   I.— INTRODUCTORY. 

KEV  WORDS  AND  UNDERI.YING   PRINCIPI,ES    OF   EXPOSITION — THE 
WRITER — THE  DATE. 

Origiual  Title— A  Revelation  not  a  Mystery — Revelation  a 
Key  Word — Compared  with  Daniel — Why  Daniel's  Prophecy 
was  Sealed — Why  the  Revelation  is  not  Sealed — Jesus 
himself  needed  it — A  Revelation  promised — Schools  of 
Interpretation — Symbolic  character  of  the  Language  used 
— Signify  the  second  Key  Word— Symbolism  a  fixed  Rule 
of  Entirety— Underl3ing  Principles  of  Interpretation— All 
Symbols  Explained  in  the  Word — Symbolic  Entirety  De- 
fined— Safe  Principles— Great  Variety  of  Symbols— Medi- 
um of  Communication  —  the  Writer — Testimony  of  the 
Fathers— of  Dr.  Davidson — The  Date — Statements  of  Dr. 
Wm.  Smith  and  Dr.  A.  Clarke — The  Apostle  not  a  Dilatory 
Witness — Secret  of  Confusion  in  Dates — Dean  Alford's 
Quotations — Roy  and  Bp,  Newton's  Testimonies,  I)r  Jack- 
son's, Dr.  Kitto's — Quotations  from  Dean  Merivale,  M. 
Martindale,  Mosheim 19 

CHAPTER  XL- GOD'S  INTRODUCTION. 

IMPORTANCE    OF    THE    BOOK— GLIMPSES     OF    THE     DAVIDIAN     OR 
GOSPEI.   KINGDOM — THE   LORD'S   DAY. 

The  Great  Blessing— The  Time  at  Hand— Time  of  the  End — 
John's  Introduction — The  Apostolic  Benediction — Two  Faith- 
ful Witnesses — Divine  Seal  of  the  Testimony — A  Prince  of 
Kings  must  be  a  Reigning  King — A  Joint  Reign — A  Glorious 
Reign — Visibility  of  the  Advent — Kingdom  de  facto— 'Hot 
Carnal  but  Divine  Control— The  Lord's  Day  is  the  Gospel 
Age— The  Voice  Behind  John— A  Trumpet  call  is  Anti- 
secret  43 

4 


CONTENTS.  5 

CHAPTER  III.— BEGINNING  OF  THE  REVELATION 
PROPER. 

JOHN'S   FIRST  VISION— THE  SEVEN   GOLDEN   CANDI^ESTICKS- A 
GOI<DEN-GIRDED   ONE   IN   THE   MIDST. 

The  Royal  Vision — Easy  first  Lesson  in  Symbols — The  Seven 
Asian  Churches  not  Literal — Seven  Ages — Significance  of 
Scripture  Names — Third  Key  to  Symbols — Names  Changed 
with  change  of  Character — Walking  1)y  Faith,  not  by  Sight 
— Significant  Figures  in   Numbers— Three,  the  Heavenly, 

Four,  the  E  irlhly  number — Seven  Series  of  Sevens 57 

CHRIST  IN  THE  MIDST  OF  THE  CANDI^ESTICKS. 

The  Golden  Girdle — Symbolic  Fire — Key  as  a  Symbol 65 


PAPvT  SECOND. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

I.    THE   EPHESIAN   OR   APOSTOLIC   PERIOD. 
A.  D,  30   TO    A.  D.    64. 

The  Message  to  Ephesus — Angel  Defined — The  Apostolic  Age 
— First  Love  Lost — Repentance  or  Removal  of  Candlestick 
— The  Date  again — Time  for  Repentance,  a  Clue  to  the  Date 
— The  True  Date— Dr.  Patton'sView  Illustrates  the  common 
Misconception— Deeds  of  the  Nicolaitans— Rising  spirit  of 
Popery — Nicolaitanism  not  found  in  the  Apostles — Tree  of 
Life  in  the  midst  of  Paradise 68 

CHAPTER  V. 

II.      THE  SMYRNIOT   OR   NERONlAN   PERIOD. 
A.  D.    64   TO   A.  D.    313. 

The  Message  to  Smyrna — The  Synagogue  of  Satan — The  devil 
and  Satan — Ten  pagan  Persecutions — Three  Million  Martyrs 
— The  phrase  Second  De  ith  found  only  in  Revelation — Not 
a  Second  penalty — One  Death  m  Trespasses  and  Sins,  and 
One  a  penalty  for  Sin 78 


6  CONTENTS, 

CHA.PTER  VI. 

III.      THE   PERGAMENE   OR   CONSTANTINIAN   PERIOD. 

A.  D.    313   TO   A.  D.    529. 

The  Message  to  Pergamos — Charged  with  Apostasy — The 
Edict  of  Milan — Woildly  Exaltation— Faithful  Antipas — 
Balaamitical  Piety — Idol  Sacrifices  in  Israel  —  Symbolic 
Eating — The  first  Stumbling  Stone — Spiritual  Adultery — 
Hidden  Manna — Immortality  not  an  Inheritance  but  a  Gift 
— How  men  make  God  a  Liar— John's  Belief —Pauline  The- 
ology— James'  View — Peter's  Faith  -  Ancient  Tesserae 84 

CHAPTER  VII. 

IV.      THE   THYATIRIAN    OR  JUSTINIAN   PERIOD. 
A.  D.    529   TO    A. D.    1529. 

The  Creed  Exalte  i  above  the  Word — Charge  against  Thyatira 
Minimized — God  chose  the  Types,  We  must  find  the  Anti- 
types—Divine Arraignment  of  Orthodoxy— The  Types  Ahab, 
Jezebel,  Elijah — Symbolic  Time — A  Lying  Spirit  as  a  Strong 
Delusion — Heresy  with  Jezebel  was  Truth  with  God — Formal 
Union  of  Church  and  State — The  Eutychian  Theory — Coun- 
cil of  Constantinople — Dr.  Shedd  Endorses — Dr.  Schafi"  Ex- 
plains—Origin  of  Triaitarianism — Confessed  Motherhood — 
Trinitarianism  justly  Rebuked — Order  of  Two  Natures  in 
Christ — Divine  Nature  cannot  Die  nor  suffer  Pain— Soul- 
Immortality  not  found  in  Scripture — Intellect  a  Faculty  of 
theBrain — Distinction  between  Man  and  Animals — Intellect 
not  a  Faculty  of  the  Spirit— Meaning  of  Spirit — The  Lie  in 
Eden  a  Fountain  of  Error — Error  as  a  Shield  for  Error — 
The  Bible  on  the  Existence  of  God . .     96 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

CONTINUATION   OF   THE   THYATIRIAN   OR  JUSTINIAN    PERIOD. 

Platonism  in  the  Catholic  Schools  —  Council  of  Vienna  — 
Council  of  Later  an  —  Luther's  Answer  —  Tindale's  —  The 
Nicene  Creed  —  An  "lueffdble  Mystery" — The  Creative 
L^igoi — God  Created,  Jesus  Enlightened,  the  World — The 
Divine  Manhood  of  Christ — An  Unrecognized  Principle — 
Importance  of  the  Prophetic  Sense — How  Abraham  saw 
Chris*. — The  1260  Years' Period — Premonitory  Judgments  on     ■ 


CONTENTS.  7 

the  Empire— The  "  Children  "  Killed  with  Death— Depths 
of  the  Adversary — Power  over  the  Nations —Luther  Burns 
the  Pope's  Bull— The  Diet  at  Worms— The  Leipsic  Discus- 
sion— CharlesV. — Protestant  League — Holy  League — Peace 
ofWestphalia — Power  of  the  Word  of  God — Shivered  Empire 
— Italy — France — Spain  — Antichrist  Recognized — Transla- 
tions of  the  Bible  and  Papal  Bulls 120 

CHAPTER  IX. 

V.      THE   SARD  IAN   OR   LUTHERAN   PERIOD. 
A.  D.    1529   TO   A.  D.    1789. 

The  Message  to  Sardis-Meaniiig  of  the  Term — Sardis  Com- 
pletes the  1260  Years'  Period — Over  Fifty  Millions  Slain — 
Milton  on  the  Martyrs — Note  on  the  Holy  Spirit — Sardian 
Indifference  in  Contrast  with  Ephesian  Zeal— Prophetic  Ig- 
norance a  Judgment  for  Indifference — Critical  Reading  of 
Psalm  CXVI.  15 — Tae  Promise  of  White  Raiment  magni- 
fied by  Repetition — Possibility  of  Fall  ng  from  Grace 150 

CHAPTER  X. 

VI.      THE   PHILADELPHIAN   OR   RENAISSANCE   PERIOD. 
A.  D.    1789  TO   A.  D.    1840. 

The  Message  to  •  Philadelphia — Terms  Defined — The  World 
emerges  from  Centuries  in  Babylon  and  Darkness — Love 
Returns  to  Dwell  with  Men — The  Church,  to  Rebuild  Jeru- 
salem— The  Key  of  David — Third  Phase  of  the  Davidian 
Kingdom — The  Keys  given  to  Peter — The  Open  Door — 
Spirit  of  the  19th  Century — Papal  Bulls  against  the  Bible — 
The  Great  Bible  Society — Its  Fundamental  Law — The  Ten 
Virgins  go  Forlh — John  Fletcher — ^Joseph  Wolff — A  World- 
wide Proclamation  —  A  Definite  Expectation  —  Consistent 
Sacrifices — The  Ascension  Robe  Falsity 155 

CHAPTER  XI. 

VII.   THE  I.AODICFAN  OR  JUDGMENT  PERIOD. 
A.  D.  184  )  TO  THE  END. 

The  Me:>sage  to  Laodicea — Terms  Defiued — Prophecy  in  Dis 
repute— "  Higher  Criticism  "  and  Semi-Infidelity  Flourish — 
Spiritual  Power  Declines — New  Foes  to  True  Religion  — 
Supposed  Riches,  but  Miserable  Trash — Divine  Indictment 


CONTENTvS. 

for  setting  up  False  Standards — Truth  and  Righteousness 
Needed — He  who  Formed  the  Eye,  cau  He  not  See? — Facts 
not  Misstated — Proofs  at  Hand — Popular  Errors  should  be 
Renounced — Christology  of  the  Scriptures — Unity  of  the  Son 
of  God  and  of  Mary — ' '  Knocking  "  through  the  Signs  of  the 
Advent — Watching  a  Duty  Imperative — In  the  Throne  with 
Christ — A  Present  Association  —The  Melchisedec  Reign  ne- 
cessarily Limited — Conclusion 170 


PART  THIRD. 


CHAPTER     XII.  — SYMBOLIC     ORGANIZATION    OF     THE 
GOSPEL    (DAVIDIAN)    KINGDOM. 

A  cBntrai.  throne  surrounded  by  twenty- eour  others  — 

ALL  WITH  crowned  occupants. 

A  Door  Opened  in  Heaven — The  Symbol  Explained — Proofs 
of  Symbolism — A  Trumpet  Voice— The  Throne  of  David  or 
Israel  Reappears — Btring  in  the  Spirit — Symbols  of  a  King 
dom — A  Rainbow — An  Associated  Kingdom — Not  a  Millen- 
nium— Twenty-four  Crowned  Elders — Lightnings,  Thiin- 
derings,  Voices— Lamps  of  Fire— A  Sea  of  Glass — Four 
Living  Creatures — Their  SVmbolic  Eyes 185 

CHAPTER  XIII.— THE  LION-LAMB  AND  THE 
SEVEN-SEALED  BOOK. 

no  man  on  earth,  nor  angel  in  heaven,  could  break  the 

seals— THE  LAMB  prevails,  AND  THE  ELDERS  AND 
LIVING  CREATURES  REJOICE. 

The  Sealed  Book  Identified— Vain  Effort  to  Open  the  Book- 
John  Wept— The  Lion  of  Judah  Prevails  for  the  Task— The 
Lamb  with  vSeven  Horns  and  Seven  Eyes— vSeven  Historic 
Phases  of  the  Israelitish  Kingdom — The  Lion-Lamb  Receives 
the  Book— The  Elder's  Glad  New  Song— Unsealing  the  Book 
is  the  Revelation — The  Reigning  on  the  Earth  is  Association 
in  the  Throne  with  the  Lamb — The  Gospel  Kingdom 195 


CONTENT'S. 


I^ART  FOURTH. 


CHAPTER  XiV.— THE  FIRST  THREE  vSEAI^S. 

I.    The  First  vSeal  Opened— The  Winged  Lion  and 
THE  White  Horse. 

THE    APOSTOI^IC    AGE — FROM    THE    ASCENSION,    A.  D.    30,    TO    THE 
burning   of   ROME   UNDER   NERO,    A.  D.    64. 

The  Ivion  and  the  White  Horse— "Heaven,"  and  "  Earth,"  or 
the  Church,  and  World-Power,  in  Symbolic  Contrast — His- 
tory of  First  Period  of  the  Church— The  Temple  of  Janus 
Closed— Birth  of  the  Prince  of  Peace — Bow  and  Crown  Given 
to  the  White-Horse  Rider  204 


II.— The  Second  Seal  Opened — The  Winged  Calf, 
AND  THE  Red  Horse. 

pagan    PERSECUTIONS— from    NERO,   A.  D.    64,  TO  THE   EDICT   OF 
MILAN,  UNDER  CONSTANTINE,  A.  D.  313. 

The  second  Living  Creature  was  like  a  Calf — The  second  Horse 
was  Red — A  Great  Sword  was  Given  the  Red-Horse  Rider — 
Christ  the  Giver — A  Dreadful  Persecution  Resulted — Rome 
thought  to  Extirpate  Christianity— Found  it  Sword-Proof. .   208 


III.    The  Third  Seal  Opened— The  "Face  as  a  Man," 
AND  THE  Black  Horse. 

THE  APOSTATIZING  PERIOD — FROM  CONSTANTINE,  A.  D.  313, 
TO  THE  NEW  CODE-JUSTINIAN,  A    D.  529. 

The  third  Living  Creature  had  a  Face  as  a  Man — The  third 
Horse  was  Black — Constantinian  Period — Calamitous  His- 
tory— Rotteck — Symbolic  Balances — Gibbon — Infidel  Wrath 
Paises  God — Symbolic  Wheat  and  Barley — The  Oil  and  Wine 
—  Over- Pious  Solicitude   210 


lO  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XV.— OPENING  OF  THE  FOURTH 
AND  FIFTH  SEALS. 

IV.    The  Fourth  Seal  Opened— The  Flying  Eagle, 
Death  and  the  Pale  Horse. 

APOSTASY  AND  NICOLAITANISM  PERFECTED — FROM  JUSTINIAN,  A.D. 
529,  TO  THE  PROTESTANT  LEAGUE,  A.D.   I529. 

The  fourth  Living  Creature  was  in  Flight  as  an  Eagle — The 
fourth  Horse  was  Pale — A  Prophetic  Paradox — History  of 
the  Period-Rotteck— Whelpley— The  Rider  of  the  Pale 
Horse — Rise  of  the  Man  of  Sin — Antichrist  Personified — 
Hades  Followed — The  Term  Defined — Clarke — Bullinger — 
Fourth  Part  of  the  Earth — Symbolic  Killing — (i)  Legal 
Processes — (2)  Seductive  Arts 216 

V.  The  Fifth  Seal  Opened— Slain  Souls  Under  the  Altar, 
AND  Hades. 

A  REMNANT  OF  THE   CHURCH    GROANING   TO   BE  AVENGED— FROM 
THE  PROTESTANT  LEAGUE,  A.  D.   1529,  TO  THE  FRENCH 
REVOLUTION,  A.D.  1789. 

Slain  Souls — Soul  Defined — Their  Position  Under  the  Altar — 
Their  Testimony — Their  Cr^  for  Judgment— Daniel's  Pro- 
phetic Promise — The  White  Robes — Neither  Altar  nor  Tears 
in  Heaven,  the  Abode  of  God 225 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

VI.    The  Sixth  Seal  Opened — A  Great  Earthquake,  Dark- 
ened Sun  and  Moon,  and  Falling  Stars. 

JUDGMENT  upon  JEZEBEL,    ROME,    AND    CATHOLIC    KINGS,    FROM 
1789  TO  THE  CONGRESS  OF  VIENNA,  1815. 

A  Great  Earthquake — Defined — As  Seen  by  the  Historians 
Bower,  Alison,  Lamartine,  Marsh — Waging  War  against 
Rome — Alison — Noel's  Questions — Religious  Effects  of  the 
Earthquake — Darkening  of  the  Sun  and  Moon — Herschel  on 
Dark  Day — Faber  on  the  Revolution — Falling  Stars — Rowan 
and  Pressense  on  the  Revolution — ^Jezebel's  cruel  War  re- 
turns upon  Herself — Apostacy  of  Priests — Alison  on  Results 


CONTENTS.  II 

—Pius  VI.  Confesses  them — Mountains  and  Islands  Moved — 
Redhead  writes  of  it— Kings  and  Captains  Hide— Similar 
First  Advent  Symbol— Hyperbole,  a  Common  Figure — Anal- 
aejous  Scenes  in  Daniel — His  Explanation — Great  Day  of 
Wrath 228 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Continuation  of  the  Sixth  Seai,— Four  Angels  Hoi<d  the 

Winds. 

the  great  seai,ing  message— white-robed  philadelphians 
— from  the  congress  of  vienna,  1815,  to  1840. 

Four  Angels  Hold  the  V^inds — Sunrising  Angel  with  the  Seal 
of  God — ^How  ihe  Four  Angels  Hurt  the  Earth  and  Sea — 
Durivage  on  the  Unrestrained  Winds — Goodrich  on  the 
Holden  Winds — Preparatory  to  the  Sealing — Disappoint- 
ment led  to  the  Discovery  of  the  Old  Paths — First  144000, 
then  the  Great  Multitude  Sealed — TheSealedonesIdentified 
— Truth  still  Miscalled  Heresy — Public  Worship  Restored — 
Dr.  Barber  on  the  Secret  Worship  of  the  Scottish  Covenant- 
ers— Also  the  Poet  Grahame — Former  Dearth  of  Bibles — 
Scorching  Power  of  the  Truth — The  Lamb  Resumes  the 
Throne — And  Persecution  Tears  are  Wiped  Away 244 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

VII.     The  Seventh  Se\l  Opened— A  Half  Hour's  Silence 
IN  Heaven. 

NO   PROMPT   response   FROM   THE   WAITING   CHURCH. 

No.  Prompt  Call  to  Come  and  See — Half  Hour  of  Silence — 
Slumbering  and  Sleeping  Prophetically— Tradition  and  Vain 
Philosophy  at  Fault — Popular  Revival  Methods  Faulty — 
"  Behold  the  Bridegroom,"  the  Proper  Christian  Watchword  262 

CHAPTER  XIX 

The  Tardy  Events  of  the  Seventh  Seal — The  Mighty 
Rainbow  Angel. 

the   advent   MESSAGE — EVENTS   WHOLLY   OF  AN   ECCLESIASTICAL 
NATURE — GREAT   LIGHT   FOR   THE  CHURCH. 

Despise  not  the  Day  of  Small  Things — The  Mighty  angel — His 
Rainbow  crown — His  Face  as  the  Sun — His  Feet  as  Fire— 


12  CONTENTS. 

He  has  the  Open  Book — His  I,oud  crj' — Prophetic  nearness 
is  Comparative  time — Watching  a  divine  Faith-Test — Tradi- 
tional Switch-Off — The  angel's  Descent,  an  Organized  Move- 
ment— Seven  Thnnders — The  angel's  Oath — A  Time  Proc- 
lamation—  Josiah  Litch  on  the  early  Advent  Movement — 
The  Charge  of  Censoriousness  refuted 267 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Continuation  of  the;  Seventh  Seal — The  Little  Open 

Book, 
the  advent  movement,  the  bitter  experience,  and 
the  prophesying  again. 
The  Seventh  Trumpet  Message — The  little  Book  given  to  John 
— He  Promptly  accepts  the  Gift — Eating  the  Book — Bitter 
Experience  resulting — The  "Time  of  the  End,"  not  the  End 
of  Time — A  Pardonable  Mistake — Must  prophesy  Again — 
The  Movement  not  all  Wrong — Note  on  the  Hebrew  term, 
Yainini,  Year — Gesenius'  Testimony 282 


PART  FIFTH. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

The  Chronometric  Reed— Measuring  the  Temple  and 

Altar — The  Age  of  False  Worship  which 

Polluted  Them. 

the  two  witnesses  slain  by  the  dragon  out 
OF  the  pit. 
The  Measuring  Reed — The  Temple,  Altar  and  Court — Sym- 
bolic Application — Solomon's  Typical  Acts — The  Holy  City 
under  foot — Prophetic  Championship — The  Two  Witnesses 
in  Sackcloth — Two  Olive  Trees  and  Candlesticks  — The 
Vision  of  Zechariah — Golden  Oil— Duration  of  the  Sack- 
cloth State—- The  Dragon  from  the  Pit — His  War  upon  the 
Two  Wituesses — History  by  Alison,  Presseuse,  Lecroix — 
Witnesses  Dead  Three  Daj  s  and  a  Half— International  Pro- 
test— Redhead's  Graphic  Account 295 


CONTENTS  13 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Revival  of  the  Two  Witnesses — Their  Ascension — 
Renaissance  of  the  Church  in  France. 

END   OP  the  second  woe — GREAT   EXAI.TATION   OF  THE  WORD 
OF   GOD. 

The  Rejoicing  over  the  Dead  Witnesses — Testimony  by  Dr. 
Croly — by  Dr.  Coke — The  Witnesses  Avenged — Revive  after 
Three  Days  and  a  Half— History  by  Rowan — by  Eclaire — by 
Alison — by  Dr.  Kett — Gregory  and  De  Anglas — The  Nevp 
French  Constitution — The  Chvirch  springing  out  of  the  Dust 
— Diagram  of  Dates  and  Periods — Ascent  of  the  Witnesses- 
Origin  of  Bible  vSocieLies — A  Glorious  Triumph — One  Tenth 
of  Babylon  FaUs— Goodrich  Describes  it — Titles  Discarded 
—End  of  the  Second  Woe 314 


PART  SIXTH. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Introductory  to  the  Sounding  of  the  Seven  Trumpets. 

the  angel  of  incense  fills  his  censor  with  fire — 

mission  of  the  forerunner  of  CHRIST. 
The  Angel  of  Incense  Leaves  the  Temple,  and  Casts  Fire  from 
the  Altar  into  the  Earth — The  Work  of  John,  and  Jesus 
prior  to  His  Ascension — Haggai  and  Isaiah  Foretold  the 
Result — The  Desire  of  All  Nations — Dawn  of  the  Gospel 
Day — Ministry  of  John  the  Baptist — Isaiah  and  David  De- 
scribe the  Voice  of  the  Wilderness  .    335 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

I.    The  First  Trumpet  Sounded — Hail  and  Fire  Cast  upon 
THE  Earth  — Grass  and  Trees  Burnt  Up. 

BOTH   TRUTH    AND    JUDGMENT    DESCEND   UPON   ISRAEL   AND  THE 
GENTILES. 

The  Prophet  David  locates  the  First  Trumpet,  the  Apostle 
Paul,  the  Ivast — Isaiah  and  Jeremiah  Define  the  Symbols 
Hail  and  Fire — Malachi  also  used  the  figure — Trees,  Grass 
and  Earth  as  Symbols  Defined — The  Third  Part  Explained  341 


14  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

II.     The  Second  Trumpet  Sounded — A  Burning  Mountain 
Cast  into  the  Sea. 

mount  zion,  the  kingdom  of  iviteral  israel,  cast  off 
among  the  nations. 
Mount  Zion  or  Israel  all  on  Fire — Jeremiah,  Zuchariah  and 
Isaiah  Foretold  it — Babylon  an  Example — Isaiah  on  the  Fire 
in  Israel — Origin  of  the  Gehenna  Figure — Jeremiah  also  saw 
Israel  on  Fire  in  the  Sea — A  Third  Part  of  the  Sea  becoming 
Blood,  Explained — Death  of  One  third  Part  of  Life  in  the 
Sea,  Explained  —The  Wandering  Hebrews   346 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

III.    The  Third  Trumpet  Sounded — The  Burning  Star, 

Wormwood,  Fai.ls  and  Embitters  Rivers 

and  Fountains. 

the  nicene  councii.  and  creed  fills  the  church  with 

smoke,  and  pagan  peoples  and  provinces  with 

the  spirit  of  error  and  strife. 

A  Burning  Star  cannot  emit  the  Pure  Light  of  its  Normal 
State —The  Star  Identified — Mosheim  on  the  Errors  of  the 
Fourth  Century — Constantine's  reputed  Conversion— Note 
on  the  Development  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  Trinity — Pla- 
tonism  Ruling  the  Orthcdox  Church — Smoke  is  not  the 
Divine  Eye  Salve — Driven  the  Errorist — Wormwood  in  the 
Waters 354 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

IV.     The  Fourth  Trumpet  Sounded— The  Sun,  Moo.v  and 
Stars  Darkened  a  Third  Part. 

THE  OI.D   AND   NEW   testaments,    AND   THE   MlrMSTRV, 
shrouded   IN   A   DARK   VEIE   OF   TRADITION. 

The  Symbols  Explained— Gibbon  on  the  Persecution  and  Van- 
ity of  Justinian — The  Arians  had  Some  Light — The  Creed, 
only  Darkness  and  Bigotry — So-called  "Orthodox"  Form- 
ulas still  stand  squarely  with  Rome's — The  Flying  Eagle — 
Her  Triple  Woe-Message 366 


CONTENTS.  15 

PART  SEVENTH. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

V.    The  Fifth  Trumpet  Sounded — The  First  Woe — A  Great 

Smoke  from  the  Pit  Darkens  the  Sun  and  Air. 

mahomet  fills  the  world  with  clouds  of  revised 

romanism  and  woe. 

Mahomet  a  Fallen  Star — He  Knew  the  Gospel — His  Testi- 
mony of  Christ  in  the  Koran — Abbott  on  his  Open  Blas- 
phemy— Chesuey,  also,  and  Porter — Gibbon  on  his  natural 
Leadership — DeBesse  on  his  Plan — His  Key  of  the  Bottom- 
less Pit — A  Great  Smoke  Arose — His  Conquests — The  Dark- 
ened Air — Centuries  of  Moslem  War  and  Woe — Pear  of  the 
Austrian  Empire — The  Locusts  put  under  Restraint — Tor- 
ment the  Greek  Empire  150  years — Gibbon's  Remarkable 
Statement  — "Men  "  and  "Man"  Symbols  of  Rulers — Def- 
inite Date  of  the  Period — DeBesse  on  the  Dates — "Men" 
Seek  Death,  from  Torment — DeBesse  relates  the  Horrors 
they  Suffered  —  The  Locust  Armies  Described  —  Turkish 
Horsemen  —  Riders  and  their  Weapons  Described — King 
Abaddon,  Apollyon 371 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

VI.     THE  SIXTH  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— THE  SECOND 

WOE. 
The  Four  Euphratean-Bound  Angels  Loosed — The  Third 
Part  of  Men  Killed  by  Fire,  Smoke  and  Brimstone, 
divine  judgments — destruction  of  the  eastern  empire. 
Voice  from  the  Golden  Altar — The  Four  Angels  Loosed — The 
Great  River  Euphrates — The  Angels  Identified — The  Hour, 
Day,  Month  and  Year  Reduced  to  Literal  time — Where  the 
Period  should  End— The  Third  Part  of  Men  Slain— Great 
Number  of  Horsemen — Breastplates  of  Fire — Greek    Fire 
and  Gunpowder — Turkish  Military  School — Greek  Fire  from 
Arabia— Chinese   Gunpowder — Tails   like   Serpents — Judg- 
ments Followed  by  the  Inquisition,  not  by  Repentance — 
Jew  and  Moslem  rebuke  Catholic  Image  Worship - 394 


1 6  CONTENTS. 

END  OF  THE  THREE  HUNDRED  AND  NINETY-ONE  YEARS  OF 
OTTOMAN  SUPREMACY, 
Their  End  in  1840  Precalculated  in  1838— Published  Statement 
of  Related  Facts — Trouble  Between  the  Sultan  and  Egypt 
— The  Porte  Submits  to  Foreign  Intervention — The  Confer- 
ence Sat  in  Ivondou — Ultimatum  of  the  Four  Powers — 
Officially  Presented  to  Mehemet  Ali— Test  of  the  Sultan's 
Supremacy—  Departed — Contemporary  Testimony — Adverse 
Testimony  Refuted 405 

CHAPTER   XXX. 

VII.     THE  SEVENTH  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— THE  THIRD 

WOE. 

Divine  Judgments  on  Catholic  Nations — Their  Hidden 

Talents  of  Delegated  Power  Revert  to  God  Who, 

Through  Christ,  Judges,  Reforms,  Reigns. 

religious  toleration  throughout  civilization,  a  glorious 

fruitage. 
Voices  of  Joy  in  the  Church — The  Visible  Reign  of  God  and 
Christ  in  the  World— Parallel  Figures  Cited— The  Elders 
Join  the  Song  of  Joy — Abbott  Describes  the  Angry  Nations 
— Judgment  Sent  Through  an  Infidel  Power — Why? — Cred- 
itable, if  Infidel,  Reform  —  Monarchies  More  Mad — The 
Church  Recognizes  the  Sounding  of  this  Trumpet — Mis- 
taken in  the  Nature  of  the  Event,,  not  the  Date — ^Jesus' 
Parable  Requires  a  Mistake  of  the  Virgins  and  a  Tarrying 
of  the  Bridegroom — The  Mistake  Explained — The  Events 
belong  to  Time — A  System  Temporally  Judged,  and  a  Ciass 
Temporally  Rewarded — The  Opened  Temple  and  Revealed 
Testament — The  Sanctuary  Cleaused  in  Type — in  Antitype — 
Contention  and  Division  resulted,  but  Great  Truths  Followed 
— Object  and  Ultimate  Failure  of  the  Holy  Alliance 416 

CONCLUSION. 
A  Popular  Misconception — Last  Things — Great  Hail — Resur- 
rection and  Translation 435 


PART    FIRST. 


A  SYMBOLIZED  REVELATION  OF  THE  LORD  JESUS 

CHRIST,  CONCERNING  SEVEN  HISTORIC 

DISPENSATIONS  IN  THE 

GOSPEL  AGE. 

"Blessed  is  he  that  readeth  and  lhc[/  that  hear  the  words  of  this  prophecy." 

CHAPTER  I.— INTRODUCTORY. 

KEY  WORDS  AND  UNDERLYING  PRINCIPLES  OF  EXPO- 
SITION—THE WRITER— THE  DATE. 

CHAPTER  II.— GOD'S  INTRODUCTION. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  BOOK— GLIMPSES  OF  THE  DAVID- 
IAN  OR  GOSPEL  KINGDOM— THE  LORD'S  DAY. 

CHAPTER  III.— BEGINNING  OF  THE  REVELATION 

PROPER. 
JOHN'S   FIRST    VISION— THE   SEVEN    GOLDEN   CANDLE- 
STICKS-A  GOLDEN-GIRDED  ONE,  LIKE  UNTO 
THE  SON  OF  MAN,  IN  THE  MIDST. 


The  study  of  prophecy  identifies  in  the  mind  the  God  of  revela- 
tion with  the  God  of  nature  and  of  history  ;  and,  if  investigated  in  a 
right  spirit  of  seriousness,  may  be  mightily  instrumental  in  establishing 
a  strong  and  practical  sense  of  religion  in  the  heart  of  the  inquirer. 

— Chalmers. 


ANALYTICAL    EXPOSITION 


REVELATION  OF  JESUS  CHRIST. 


PART     FIRST. 


CHAPTER   I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

KEY   AVORDS   AND    UNDERLYING     PRINCIPLES    OF     EXPOSI- 
TION— THE   WRITER — THE   DATE. 

WHAT  can  be  more  inspiring  than  a  revelation 
from  the  Son  of  God?  Given  under  mystic 
symbols,  what  could  be  more  timely  than  a 
correct,  harmonious  exposition,  or  more  interesting  than 
a  clear  understanding,  of  its  vexed  questions?  It  has  been 
long  before  the  world,  comparatively  little  studied,  and 
much  misunderstood;  it  is  ripe  for  its  harvest,  and  ready 
to  yield  rich  fruit  to  studious  "servants."  Dear  reader, 
let  us  approach  the  divine  message  with  becoming  rever- 
ence and  faith,  and  with  earnest  prayer. 

The  present  title,  "The  Revelation  of  St.  John  the 

Divine,"  is  not  the  true  title  of  the  book, 

origrinai  ]^^^^  ^^.^g  rj(|(]gf[^  j^  jg  supposcd,  perhaps  for 

'^***^*  greater  brevity,  l:»y  Eusebius,  "father  of 

ecclesiastical   history,"   about   the   begin- 
ning of  the  fourth  century.     The  first  two  verses,  evi- 

19 


20  DIVINE    KEY    OF    THE    REVELATION.  [part  T. 

deutly,  is  its  original,  divine  and  proper  title;  namely, — 

"THE  REVELATION  OF  JESUS  CHRIST, 
which  God  gave  unto  Him,  to  show  unto  His 
servants  things  which  must  shortly  come  to 
pass;  and  He  sent  and  signified  it  by  His  angel 
unto  His  servant  John :  who  bare  record  of  the 
Word  of  God,  and  of  the  testimony  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  of  all  things  that  he  saw."    (Ver.  1,  2.) 

The   wonderful   book  thus   described  closes   up   the 

canon  of  onr  Holy  Scriptures.  It  is  the 
A  Book  Most  j.^gj-  revelation  of  God  to  man.  It  came 
Wonderful.         |q  g^j.^j^  direct  from  God,  throngh  His 

Sou,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — indited  in 

the  highest  wisdom  of  the  courts  of  Heaven,  and  brought 

down  to  men  by  the  highest  ambassador  and  the  holiest 

harbinger  ever  sent  on  royal  mission  to  foreign  shores. 

It  is  the  Holy  Father's  precious  gift  to  His  Son,  Avho 

graciously  shares  the  royal  treasure  with 
A  Gift  Most  men,  the  objects  of  His  love.  In  it  we 
Precious.  posscss — all  Unappreciated,   it  may  be — 

one  oi  the  richest  bequests  ever  vouch- 
safed to  mortals;  and  in  its  study  we  approach  the  grand- 
est work  ever  engaged  in  by  men,  even  "that  good  part 
wliicli  shall  not  be  taken  from''  tliose  who  choose  it. 

A    REVELATION    CAXXOT    REMAIN    A    MYSTERY. 

The  Revelation   of  Jesus   Christ. — There   are 
two  key  z^'ords  in  the  original  title  which. 
Revelation  j£  rightly  uudei'stood,  seem,  in  our  opin- 

a  Key  >vor«i.      -j^j^^    after    loug,    carcful    and    prayerful 
study    of   the    Book — twenty-six   years — 
to  fairly  unlock  the  treasures  of  this  Heavenly  casket, 
namely:  "revelation"  and  "signified."      And  these 


CHAP.  I.]  PRINCIPLES   OF   EXPOSITION.  21 

key  words  render  lis  the  most  valuable  and  indispensable 
assistance. 

Every  branch  of  hnman  learning,  called  "science," 
has  its  rndimental  principles  first  stated,  to  enable  the 
stndent  to  master  the  deepest  things  which  follow.  It 
must  be  so  in  divine  science,  to  fit  it  for  human  under- 
standing. 

1.  The  term  revelation  (Greek  apokahipsis)  signifies 
properly  tlie  removal  of  a  veil.  It  means  something  made 
kiiow)i;  and  is  divinely  applied  to  this  book.  But  if  a 
very  popular  conception  concerning  it  is  right,  naniely, 
that  it  is  beyond  the  power  of  men  to  comprehend  it — 
that  it  is,  was  so  intended,  and  must  ever  remain  a  mystery 
— then  its  divine  title  is  a  divine  misnomer!  which  thought 
involves  an  unthinkable  absurdity.  Surely  the  great 
Teacher,  divine,  all-wise,  all-beneficent,  would  not  apply 
the  term  revelation  to  that  which  "must  remain  a  mys- 
tery." Furthermore,  in  closing  the  book  (chap.  xxii. 
10),  the  Lord  expressly  instructed  John  to  "seal  not  the 
sayings  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book,  for  the  time  is  at 
hand."  Why  this  injunction,  if  mystification  rather  than 
revelation  was  intended — why?  Does  it  not  openly  and 
plainly,  even  positively,  disclaim  any  such  thought  of  im- 
penetrable mystery?     Most  surely  it  does. 

The  Prophet  Daniel,  on  the  contrary,  in  the  last 
chapter  of  his  great  prophecy,  was  told 
coinparea  j^g  positively  to  "shut  up  the  words,  and 

With  Daniel.  gp^j^  ^-^q  book."  Now  the  Book  of  Eeve- 
lation  is  to  the  Book  of  Daniel  what  the 
New  Testament  is  to  the  Old.  It  has  been  very  aptly 
said  that  the  Old  Testament  is  the  Kew  Testament  con- 
cealed; and  that  the  New  Testament  is  the  Old  Testament 
revealed.  Thus  the  «;zsealed  prophecy  of  Eevelation  is 
designed  to  -reveal  the  sealed-up  prophecy  of  Daniel.    For 


22  DIVINE    KEY    OF   THE    REVELATION.         fpART  I 

Daniel  was  not  told  to  close  up  and  seal  forever,  l)ut  only 
"to  the  time  of  the  end;"  when  in  the  nature  of  things 
it  must  he  nnsealed  if  ever  to  prove  of  anj^  service  to  man. 
God,  it  would  seem,  could  not  so  mock  the  curiosity,  or 
the  faitlifulness  (as  the  reader  may  term  it)  of  His  people 
])y  planning  for,  nor  commanding,  an  unfruitful  searcliing 
of  any  part  of  His  Word.  For  should  the  seal  remain 
to  the  end  of  time,  the  unmistakahle  and  wise  purpose  of 
God  in  giving  the  prophecy  would  as  certainly  miscarry, 
as  that  the  former  purpose,  had  in  sealing  it,  would  be 
thwarted  by  any  premature  breaking  of  the  seal. 

The-  closing   up   and   sealing   of   Daniel's   prophecy 

evidently  was  because  the  time  embraced 
Why  Daniel's  ^y^^  igj-^g  (chap.  X.  1,  14).  The  seal 
Prophecy  Was  covcrcd  just  the  time  of  those  generations 
Sealed.  wliicli  would  pass  froiu  the  stage  of  action 

before  the  grand  culmination  of  the 
prophecy,  and  which,  for  that  reason,  could  not  them- 
selves be  benefited  by  the  knowledge  of  when  the  "time 
of  the  end"  would  be,  while  the  no  less  divine  ensealing, 
at  the  proper  time,  would  furnish  valuable  information 
and  warning  to  that  Jiarticular  generation  on  whom  not 
only  the  "time  of  the  end"  should  dawn,  but  on  whom  the 
end  of  time  itself  must  come.  The  long  sealed  period 
would,  through  the  awakened  curiosity  of  the  passing 
generations  in  marking  the  events  of  the  earlier,  unsealed 
visions,  furnish,  at  the  proper  time,  to  the  last  generation 
(whicli  alone  is  really  interested  in  the  sealed  portion), 
the  necessary  proofs  (if  any  were  lacking)  of  the  inspira- 
tion and  infallible  nature  of  the  predictions.  And  this  is 
very  important  to  the  last  generation,  since  it  must  meet 
the  grand  culmination  of  all  those  predictions,  as  we  said, 
not  in  the  "time  of  the  end"  only,  but  in  what  is  equally 
unerringly  foreshadowed,  the  end  of  time  itself. 


CHAP.  I.]  PRINCIPLES    OF    EXPOSITION.  23 

In  Eevelation  the  case  is  quite  different.    The  time  is 
five  centuries  briefer  than  in  Daniel,  and 
Why  the  not  "long,"  but  "at  hand."     The  sealing 

Revelation  is     ^^p  jg  therefore  as  positively  prohibited  in 
xot  Sealed.         the    Ecvelation   as   it    was    expressly    en- 
Joined  in  Daniel. 
"Which    God    gave    unto    him." — Therefore 
there  was  a  time  when  Jesus,  the  Son  of  man — equally 
also  the  Son  of  God — needed  a  revelation, 
jesns  jjQt  having  the  inherent  power  to  know 

Needed  the  couceming  tlic  time  of  His  return  to 
Revelation.  earth;  else  it  would  not  have  been  so 
openly  and  confessedly  given  to  Him.  A 
time  wlien,  as  He  Himself  says,  neither  He  nor  the  angels 
in  Heaven,  more  than  men,  could  penetrate  the  sealed 
secret  of  the  most  High,  and  reveal  to  the  Church  the 
nearing  end  of  her  sorrows,  and  the  beginning  of  her 
promised  eternal  joy.  When  the  "Father  only"  knew 
or  could  make  any  revelation  concerning  it. 

"But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man  ;  no,  not  the 
angels  wh'ich  are  in  Heaven,  neither  ihe  Sotiy  but  the  Father 
[Matthew]  only." — Mark  xiii.  32. 

But  further,  while  here  among  men,  Jesus  distinctly 
taught  His  disciples  that  He  spake  not  out  of  His  own 
inherent  wisdom: — 

"  I  have  not  spoken  of  Myself,  but  the  Father  who  sent  Me  : 
He  gave  Me  a  commandment,  what  I  shoiild  say  and  what  I  should 
speak.  *  *  *  Whatsoever  I  speak  therefore,  even  as  the  Father 
said  unto  Me,  so  I  speak." — ^John  xii.  49,  50. 

Jesus  was  soon  exalted  to  the  right  hand  of  the  Maj- 
esty in  the  Heavens,  not  only  in  power,  but  in  zvisdom 
also,  by  this  revelation  from  His  Father.  And  He  was 
apprised  of  this  expectation,  for  He  said  to  His  dis- 
ciples:— 


24  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.  [part  i. 

"  I  have  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them 
now.  Howbeit  when  He,  the  Spirit  of  Truth 
The  RevelaUon  ^g  ^^^^^  jje  will  guide  you  iuto  a/l  truth  ;  for 
He  shall  not  speak  of  Himself,  but  whatsoever 
He  shall  hear,  that  shall  He  speak  :  and  He  will  show  you  things 
to  come.  He  shall  glorify  Me  ;  for  He  shall  receive  of  tnine,  and 
shall  show  it  unto  you.  All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  ntitie  ; 
[including  the  sealed  book  of  Rev.  v.]  therefore,  said  I,  that  He 
shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you." — John  xvi.   12-15. 

The  Father,  therefore,  only  foreknew — He  who  had 
foredetermined — at  wliat  time  the  end  should  come,  and 
what  signs  should  show  the  Saviour's  return  to  be  "at  the 
door."  But  Jesus  does  here  solemnly  declare,  repeating  the 
assertion,  that  this  knowledge,  among  "all"  the  infinite 
possessions  of  His  Father,  is  His  own  inheritance  (given  to 
Him  after  His  ascension — see  chap.  v.  1-7),  and  that  after 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  it  should  even  be  shown 
unto  them,  thus  making  His  wise  and  faithful  servants 
rulers  "over  all  His  goods" — i.  e.,  truths — as  promised  in 
the  parable,  Matt.  xxiv.  46,  47. 

"To  show  unto  His  servants." — This,  then,  is 
that  promised  revelation.  It  is  made  both  in  symbol  and 
in  parable  to  His  serrants — believers:  they  will  receive  it 
and  welcome  it,  while  unbelievers  would  despise  and  re- 
ject it. 

For  "  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  ['goods'  or 
truths]  of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  Him  ; 
neither  can  He  know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually  dis- 
cerned."— I  Cor.  ii.  14. 

Again,  "  the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him, 
and  His  covenant  to  make  them  know  it." — Psa.  xxv.  14 — 
Margin. 

"  Things  which  must  shortly  come  to  pass." 

— To  show  or  reveal  to  them  the  things  or  events  which 
must  soon  transpire  in  the  history  of  the  Church  before 
they  come  to  pass.     Otherwise  there  could  be  no  special 


CHAP.  I.]  PRINCIPI^ES   OF   EXPOSITION.  25 

revelation  to  His  servants  more  than  to  otherS;,  since  those 
who  lack  spiritual  discernment  could  recognize  events 
after  their  occurrence,  why  not  as  readily  as  they?  We 
should  therefore  approach  the  study  of  the  Eevelation  as 
servants — becoming  such,  if  not  already  so,  by  obedience 
and  the  exercise  of  faith  that  it  is  a  revelation,  as  stated. 
And  let  our  faith  respect  and  our  love  firmly  grasp  all 
these  divine  utterances  of  our  blessed  Lord  and  Teacher, 
even  though  it  should  show  all  human  theories  and  views 
to  be  false,  and  prove  '"^every  man  a  liar" — a  contingency 
suggested  by  the  Apostle  Paul. 

The  phrase,  "shortly  come  to  pass,"  should  have 
more  weight  than  it  has  had  with  many  expositors.  No- 
tice how  it  is  ignored  by  some  of  the 

VARIOUS    "schools    OF    INTERPRETATION." 

The  International  Cyclopedia,  in  loco,  gives  this  sum- 
ming of  the  different  "schools:" — 

"  I.  T\\e  Pnrterisi  school  of  interpretation,  who  look  iipon 

the   Revelation   as   fulfilled    in   the   past,  and 

Prwterist  especially  in  the  great  conflicts  of  Christianity 

School.  .  ,      ^     ,    .  ,  .  «-.«,,- 

With  Judaism    and    paganism.     *    *     To   this 

class  of  interpreters  belong,  among  others,  Grotius,  Hammond, 

Bosuet,  Calmet,  Eichhorn,  Ewald,  Liicke,  DeWette,  Stuart,   L,ce, 

Maurice. 

"  2.  The  Futurist  school  regard  the  book,  with  the  exception 

of  the  first  three  chapters,  as  referring  to  events 

Fntarist  j.  ^^  come  to  pass,  and  this  view  has  been  ad- 

vocated,  in  modern  times,  by  such  writers  as 

Dr.  J.  H.  Todd,  Dr.  S.  R.  Maitland,  Newton  and  others. 

"  3.  What   has  been   called   the   Historical    and   Continuous 

school  of  expositors,  who  regard  the  Revela- 

Historicni  and        ^j^^  ^g  ^  progressive  symbolic  history  of  the  for- 

CoutlnuouB  ^   ,      *  ,  ,      ;  ,        r- 

School.  tunes  of  the  Church  from  the  first  century  to 

the  end  of  time.     To  this  school  belong  a  host 

of  eminent  names,  such  as   Mede,  Sir   Isaac   Newton,    Vitringa, 

Bengel,  Faber,  Ebhard  and  others." 


26  DIVINK    KEY    OF   THE    REVELATION.  [part  I 

The  writer  finds  himself  in  full  accord  with  the  His- 
torical and  Continuous  view  as  far  as  is  indicated  in  this 
summing,  however  he  may  differ  with  the  various  writers 
in  detail.  For  the  word  "'shortly"  clearly  shows  that  the 
revelation  was  to  begin  in  Apostolic  times,  not  only  as 
seen  in  the  seven  churches  "of  the  first  three  chapters," 
but  as  seen  also  in  the  other  serial  visions — the  seven  seals 
and  the  seven  trumpets.  For,  as  in  the  visions  of  the 
Book  of  Daniel,  each  passed  over  the  same  general  his- 
tory, but  adding  new  details  with  each  added  vision,  so 
we  find  do  the  several  distinct  visions  of  the  Eevelator 
cumulate  the  tints  and  colorings  which  perfect  and  finish 
the  divine  picture. 

But  again  the  periods  of  Eevelation  are  so  mani- 
festly identical  with  those  of  Daniel,  and  of  the  year-day 
order,  that  it  will  be  found  impossible  to  exhaust  them  in 
the  early  part  of  the  Christian  era,  as  taught  by  the  Prae- 
terists;  nor,  since  they  measure  the  papal  system,  or  "Man 
of  Sin,"  can  they  be  delayed  to  the  future  of  our  time  as 
taught  by  Futurists. 

SYMBOLIC  CHARACTER  OF  THE  LANGUAGE  USED. 

"And  He  sent  and  signified  it." — That  is,  He 
sign-i-fied  or  symbolized  it — gave  it  in  signs  and  sym- 
bols. 

II.  Thus  the  term  signify  becomes  the  second  key 
word  in  the  study  of  the  book,  and  it  is 
sienify  the  quite  important  to  note  this  fact  at  once. 
Second  f^j.  [^  settles  ail  all-important  matter  in 

Key  Word.  fjpg^   principles   in   any   hopeful,   harmo- 

nious exposition.  Nearly  all  of  Jesus' 
teaching  while  here  among  men  was  by  parables  and  fig- 
ures; and  it  seems  unquestionable  that  this  revelation  is 
also  zvholly  of  this  order,  since  the  descriptive  terms  make 


CITAP.  I.]  TRINCIPLKS    OF    RXPOSITION.  27 

no  exception:  "it" — the  Eevelation,  which  includes  all 
that  is  revealed —  is  "sign-i-fied,"  syniboliccd.  I  think  few 
expositors  have  heretofore  understood  it  to  be  entirely 
symbolic,  but  have  thought  it  partly  literal — some  more 
and  some  less.  But  how  then  shall  it  be  determined  cer- 
tainly which  part  is  symbolic  and  which  literal?  Shall 
we  deny  to  so  important  a  divine  revelation  any  fixed 
authoritative  rule  of  interpretation,  and  thus  open  the 
field  of  its  exposition  to  the  misguided  judgment  or  ca- 
price of  uninspired  men,  so  liable,  like  a  ship  on  the  sea, 
with  chart  and  compass  lost,  to  quickly  stand  on  unseen 
rocks  or  shores?  It  seems  incredible  that  a  revelation 
specially  sent  from  Heaven  to  enlighten  the  Church  con- 
cerning the  perilous  road  over  which  she  is  to  travel,  and 
couched  in  the  strange  language  of  this  book,  should  be 
accompanied  by  no  fixed  clue  or  rule  for  understanding  it. 
If  algebra  had  no  fixed  rule  for  its  characters,  nor  geome- 
try for  its  figures,  how  could  their  difficult  problems  be 
solved?  On  the  contrary,  every  science  taught  by  man 
formulates  its  own  rules:  the  rules  are  but  the  principles 

embodied.  Eevelation  is  God's  science. 
Syinboii)4m  a  ^j^,^  here  is  the  divine  rule  for  under- 
Fixeci  Rule  of  standing  it,  one  which  at  once  settles  its 
Entirety.  qucstious  and  harmonizes  its   difficulties 

amazingly,  namely,  the  entire  revelation  is 
"sign-i-Hcd" — symbolized.  A  failure  to  recognize  the  en- 
tirety of  its  symbolic  order  no  doubt  accounts  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  confusion  in  the  many  conflicting  ex- 
positions extant.  One  interpreter  has  said,  this  is  sym- 
bolic and  that  is  literal;  and  another,  equally  confident, 
has  been  as  free  to  say,  this  is  literal  and  that  is  symbolic; 
while  a  third,  with  the  same  assumed  right,  has  made  still 
another  variation,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  list.  And, 
indeed,  how  can  such  individual  discretion  be  denied  to 


28  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.  [part  I. 

any,  if  allowable  in  any?  But  again,  I  ask,  and  with  all 
the  emphasis  I  can  pnt  in  the  words,  if  God  has  symbol- 
ized the  "Revelation,"  who  may  safely  literalize  it,  or  any 
part  of  it? 

UNDERLYING    PRINCIPLES    OF    EXPOSITION. 

The  principles  which  underlie  this  exposition  appear 
in  the  following  simple,  natural  deductions: — 

1.  "The  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ"  is  not  as  exten- 
sive as  the  book  which  contains  it. 

2.  The  first  tzvo  verses  form  the  original  and  proper 
title  of  the  Revelation. 

3.  The  third  to  the  tenth  verses,  inclusive,  are  intro- 
ductory, the  third  being  God's  introduction,  the  rest 
John's — his  explanatory  words,  as  writer,  as  to  place  and 
occasion  of  writing,  and  containing  some  plain,  helpful 
figures  and  references  to  the  symbols  of  the  revelation 
proper. 

4.  The  revelation  proper  begins  with  the  eleventh 
verse  (of  the  first  chapter),  and  extends  to  include  verse 
five  of  the  last  chapter  (i.  11 — xxii.  5). 

5.  The  rest,  versus  six  to  twenty-one  (xxii.  6-21),  in- 
clusive, are  explanatory  and  exhortatory,  with  also  a  few 
easy  figures  interspersed. 

Thus  there  are  four  plain  parts  to  the  whole  matter 
contained  in  the  book: — 
/.  CJiapter  i.  1,  2. — The  Divine  Title. 

2.  Chapter  i.  3-10.— Prefatory  and  Introductory. 

3.  Chapteri.ll— xxii.  5.— THE  REVELATION  PROPER. 

4.  Chaptcrxxii.  0-21. — Explanatory  and  Exhortatory. 

THE  REVELATION  PROPER,  GOD  gave  to  Christ: 
CHRIST  WHOLLY  SYMBOLIZED  it  to  John: 
JOHN  faithfully  wrote  it  out  for  the  Church. 


CHAP    I.]  PRINCIPLES    OF    EXPOvSlTION.  29 

6.  The  other  three  parts  (1,  3  and  4)  require  the 
ordinary  discretion  of  the  reader,  or  expositor,  in  deciding 
in  any  case  the  nature  of  the  language  used,  as  is  required 
in  other  Scripture  writings,  where  no  rule  of  entirety  is 
affirmed. 

7.  As  God  has  Himself  premised  the  symbolic  nature 

of  the  revelation,  leaving  expositors  no 
The  Symbols  discretion  on  that  point,  so  is  no  dis- 
are  Exi»iaiiied  crctiou  left  thcm  in  interpreting  the 
'•>'  *''*^  symbols;  for  every  principal  symbol  used 

Word  Itself.        therein — mark  this — is  somewhere  in  the 

Scriptures  explained  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Eelative  to  the  entirety  of  its  symbolism,  let  it  not  be 
supposed  that  in  asserting  and  maintaining  it,  an  extreme 
radicalism  is  put  forth,  or  intended, — such  as  that  every 
zvord  is  symbolic, — by  any  means,  for  reference  is  had  only 
to  statements,  as  a  whole.  The  following  illustrations  will 
make  this  clear:     Some  principal  words,  as  such,  must 

necessarily  have  a  literal,  natural  significa- 
symboiie  ^jqjj  jj^  Order  to  convcy  the  proper  inter- 

Entirety  prctativc  first  impression — the  most  nat- 

Deflned.  y^j.^^   scusc   of   tlic    words   being   usually 

made  the  basis  of  the  symbolic  reference; 
but  the  sentences  formed,  or  statements  made,  with  which 
such  words  are  connected,  must  in  verity  as  necessarily 
conform  to  God's  enunciated  rule.    For  instance: — 

1.  In  chapter  viii.  8,  "the  third  part  of  the  sea  be- 
came blood."  Blood  here,  as  a  word,  has  its  literal  sense, 
else  no  correct,  helpful,  first  impression  is  conveyed  in  the 
statement  to  the  puzzled  mind — a  requirement  as  abso- 
lutely necessary  as  it  was  unquestionably  intended;  but  that 
any  part  of  the  sea  literally  became  blood  cannot  reason- 
ably be  concluded.  Blood  is  the  life  fluid  in  man  and  beast. 


30  DIVINE    KEY    OF    THE    REVELATION.         [parT  I. 

"The  blood  is  the  life  of  the  flesh,"  said  Moses  (Gen.  ix. 
4).  And  so  that  literal  sense  is  made  the  basis  of  many 
figurative  expressions  involving  "sanguinary  deeds  col- 
lectively, bloodshed,  slaughter,  murder,  war,  or  the  state 
of  war;  as,  the  French  Kevolution  was  a  revel  of  blood." 
{Standard  Dictionary.)  Therefore,  since  the  angel  inter- 
prets the  luatcrs  (ch.  xvii.  15)  to  signify  "peoples,  and 
multitudes,  and  nations  and  tongues,"  we  may  easily  and 
unerringly  interpret  the  whole  as  signifying  or  symboliz- 
ing the  extremely  bloody  conflicts  into  which  those  diverse 
peoples  were  plunged;  as  in  the  Napoleonic  wars  which 
covered  Europe  with  blood,  and  cost  two  million  lives.  ' 
2.  Again,  in  chapter  viii.  11,  the  star  called  "Worm- 
wood" was  seen  to  fall  upon  "the  rivers  and  fountains  of 
water"  and  "many  men  died  of  the  waters,  because  they 
were  made  bitter."  Here  is  the  divine  interpretation  of 
the  symbol  wormwood,  bitterness,  in  closer  connection 
than  is  usual.  (1)  If  wormwood  were  thrown  into  water, 
the  water  would  soon,  in  a  literal  sense,  become  bitter. 
(2)  A  star,  which  is  a  light  in  the  Heavens,  is  explained 
(ch.  i.  20)  to  be  an  "angel,"  i.  e.,  an  agency,  a  teacher 
or  spiritual  light-beareV  in  the  Church.  But  this  is  a  fallen 
star,  hence  an  apostate,  false  teacher.  (3)  The  literal  sense 
of  the  name  wormwood,  then,  naturally  indicates  the  bitter 
fruits  in  the  experiences  of  those  "peoples,"  etc. — "waters" 
— upon  which  said  star  fell,  or  whom  said  false  teacher 
deceived.  For  false  teachers  "compass  sea  and  land"  to 
proselyte,  and  leave  their  converts  "twofold  more  chil- 
dren of  judgment  than  before  (Matt,  xxiii.  15).  Fur- 
ther, the  multitudes  of  unsaved  humanity  are  troubled, 
polluted,  restless  (Isa.  Ivii.  20,  21),  unfeeling  and  bois- 
terous (Jer.  vi.  23),  like  the  turbulent,  roiled,  acrid  and 
roaring  waters  of  the  sea.  And  these  natural  conditions 
are  greatly  intensified  among  all  peoples  when  greedy,  false 


CHAP    I.]  PRINCIPLES   OF    EXPOSITION.  3 1 

teachers  deceive  them — all  history  demonstrating  their 
double  portion  of  bitterness,  both  spiritually  and  tempor- 
ally. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  these  symbols,  though  somewhat 

difficult,  are  not  meaningless  and  unprofitable,  but  yield 
rich  fruit,  as  we  shall  further  show,  when  a  reasonable 
effort  is  put  forth  to  understand  them.  The  above  pas- 
sages will  be  considered  historically  when  reached  in  the 
order  of  exposition. 

The  writer  confidently  believes  that  the  principles 

of  interpretation  thus  indicated  will  be 
*»*«  found  on  the  most  rigid  examination  and 

Principles.  criticism,  if  also  candid  and  Christian,  to 

constitute  a  safe  rule  for  the  entire  revela- 
tion, and  proving  more  and  more  satisfactory,  the  more  it 
is  applied  in  personal  investigation,  as  making  the  most 
perfect  and  general  harmonies  throughout  the  book,  with 
the  fewest  possible,  if  any,  exceptions.  Eiper  experience 
demonstrates  that  with  its  faithful  use  in  the  study  of  this 
blessed  revelation,  most  of  the  difficulties  which  have 
heretofore  been  felt  vanish,  and  a  host  of  vexed  questions 
are  answered.  And  many  doctrinal  extravagancies,  also, 
of  which  literalists  have  been  manifestly  convicted,  will  be 
avoided.  This  will  appear  as  we  proceed.  And,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  vagaries  of  Swedenborg,  and  the  freaks 
of  other  fanciful  and  visionary  expositors,  who  explain 
these  symbols  arbitrarily,  with  little  or  no  reference  to 
divine  rule  or  example,  will  be  avoided. 

THE   GREAT   VARIETY    OF   SYMBOLS    USED. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  great  variety  of  symbols 
called  into  use  in  the  Eevelation.  Nearly  every  known 
thing  in  Heaven  and  in  the  earth  is  laid  under  tribute  to 


32  DIVINE    KKY    OF   THE    REVELATION.  fpART  I. 

enrich  these  most  wonderful  visions — the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
angels,  Heaven,  the  sun,  the  moon  and  the  stars;  the  air, 
light,  the  rainbow,  clouds,  thunder  and  lightning,  rain, 
hail  and  smoke;  the  earth,  mountains,  islands,  earthquakes, 
a  volcano  (or  "burning  mountain"),  rivers,  fountains,  the 
sea  and  ships;  a  man,  a  woman,  a  child,  a  birth,  souls, 
death,  a  song  and  crying;  Asia  and  seven  of  its  cities,  walls, 
gates,  a  synagogue,  a  Jew,  and  churches;  the  temple,  the 
court,  the  altar,  incense,  and  the  candlesticks  ;  kings, 
thrones,  crowns,  a  sword,  a  girdle,  a  trumpet;  merchants, 
gold,  wine,  oil,  bread,  manna,  wheat,  barley;  an  hour,  a 
day,  a  month,  a  year,  and  a  pair  of  balances;  a  dragon, 
horses,  beasts,  a  lamb,  an  eagle,  blood,  wormwood,  brim- 
stone, fire  and  water;  locusts,  heads,  horns,  wings,  a  tail, 
a  mouth  and  eyes;  and  the  colors  white,  red,  black  and 
pale.  All  these  and  others  must  be  understood  symboli- 
cally. If  they  are  given  literal  signification,  in  their  va- 
rious connections,  the  evident  rule  of  the  Eevelation  is 
violated,  unless  something  in  the  connection  or  the  cir- 
cumstances furnishes  a  valid  reason  for  an  exception  to  a 
general  rule.  ^ 

THE    MEDIUM    OF    COMMUNICATION. 

"  By  His  angel."  — The  angel  of  communication, 
whether  a  celestial  messenger  was  literally,  or  only  in 
vision,  present  with  John,  is  doubtless  a  symbol  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  with  the  Church,  since  he  does  not  bring  a 
written-out  revelation,  but  impresses  John  with  the  matter, 
and  requires  him  to  write  it  out  for  the  Church.  It  has 
been  shown  that  this  is  the  predicted  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  as  promised  by  Jesus  in  literal  discourse — quoted 
on  page  eight,  and  found  in  John  xvi.  12-15. 


CHAP.  I.]    "  THE   WRITER   AND    DATE.  33 

THE    WRITER. 

"Unto  his  servant  John." — There  seems  no 
room  to  doubt  that  the  writer  of  the  Kevelation  was  the 
beloved  Apostle  John.  Who  else  would  be  referred  to  so 
unqualifiedly  in  this  connection  but  the  Apostle  John? 
Characteristically,  and  unlike  the  popes,  he  withheld  his 
proper  official  title,  and  modestly  styled  himself  John;  but 
the  reference  to  his  "record  of  the  Word  of  God,"  for 
which  he  was  banished  to  Patmos  (verse  9),  gives  a  very 
clear  clue  to  his  identity.  For  who  but  the  Apostle  John 
"testified  the  Word  of  God,  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus 
Christ,  whatever  things  he  saw"  {Emphatic  Diaglott),  to  the 
annoyance  of  the  great  Empire  of  Rome?  He  evidently 
"testified,"  or  "bare  record"  (past  tense,  in  his  present 
writing,  therefore)  in  his  Gospel,  some  time  before  his 
exile. 

Little  confidence  can  be  placed  in  the  testimony  of 

the  so-called  Christian  fathers  of  the  early 
Testimony  of  Qospel  ceuturics,  SO  utterly  confused  and 
tiie  Fathers.       contradictory  are  they,  except  as  they  are 

found  to  agree  with  Scriptural  require- 
ments. But  we  have  this:  "So  far  as  historic  testimony  is 
concerned,  the  authority  of  the  early  Church  fathers — 
c.  g.,  Justin  Martyr,  Theophilus  of  Antioch,  Irenaeus,  and 
Clement  of  Alexandria — all  point  to  the  Apostle  John  as 
the  writer."  {International  Cyclopedia.)  Sir  Isaac  Newton 
says  it  was  "a  tradition  of  the  first  churches,  that  John  was 
banished  into  Patmos  in  the  days  of  Nero."  And  that, 
"with  the  opinion  of  the  first  commentators,  agree  the 
traditions  of  the  Churches  of  Syria,  preserved  to  this  day 
in  the  title  of  the  Syriac  version  of  the  Apocalypse,  which 
is  this:  The  Revelation  which  was  made  to  St.  John  the 
Evangelist  by  God,  in  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  into  which  he 
was  banished  by  Nero  the  Caesar."     {Observations  on  the 


34  DIVINE  KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.  [part  i. 

Apoca.,  pp.  236,  237.)  And  Dr.  Davidson, 
Dr.  Davidson's  jj^  j^^g  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  the  Neiv 
Testimony.  Tcstameiit,  sajs  that  "Theophylact  agrees 

with  the  claim  of  the  Syriac  version." 
(Vol.1,  p.  348.)  But  add  to  this  the  stronger  testimony, the 
identity  of  style,  by  a  comparison  of  chapter  i.  2,  9;  John 
i.  14;  xix.  35;  xxi.  24,  and  1  John  i.  2,  and  the  case  is  clear 
for  John  the  Apostle.  But  by  this  it  is  not  claimed  that 
the  general  styles  of  the  two  books  are  not  as  dissimilar 
as  is  contended  by  those  writers  who  deny  both  the  Apos- 
tolic writing,  and  the  divine  authorship  of  the  Eevelation. 
But  John  does  not  claim  to  be  the  author  of  Revelation 
as  of  the  Gospel  which  bears  his  name,  and  he  was  not; 
BO  that  no  such  similarity  of  style  is  demanded  between 
the  Gospel  which  he  indited  and  the  Revelation  which  he 
copied!  save  in  such  explanations  as  were  his  own  words, 
as  pointed  out  above.  Those  skeptical  writers,  therefore, 
who  so  declaim  against  the  book,  greatly  missed  their 
mark,  and  fired  their  guns  of  merely  human  lore  and  criti- 
cism at  men  of  straw.  But  even  Luther  was  deceived  by 
them,  and  received  it  not. 

>   THE   DATE. 

Unfortunately,  all  authentic  cotemporary  clues  and 
records  concerning  the  time  of  writing  either  his  Gospel 
or  the  Revelation  is  lost.  And  there  has  been  much  confus- 
ing and  needless  speculation  among  ecclesiastical  writers  as 
to  which  book  was  written  lirst,  though  the  texts  above 
cited  clearly  give  the  Gospel  the  priority.     Some  have 

even  claimed  the  Gospel  of  John  to  have 
statements  of  i^ggn  the  last  of  the  New  Testament 
Dr.  \vm.  Smith  writings.  But  Dr.  William  Smith,  au- 
»"*  thor  of  the  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  and 

Dr.  A.  Clarke,    ^t^q  History  of  the  Bible  (in  loco),  more 

reasonably  concludes  that  "probably  the 


CHAP.  I  ]  THE   WRITER   AND    DATE.  35 

date  of  the  Gospel  [of  John]  was  about  a.  d.  78."  But 
Dr.  Adam  Clarke  says,  "this  Gosepl  is  supposed  by  learned 
men  to  have  been  written  about  a.  d.  68  or  70,  by  others 
A.  d.  86  [which  was  his  own  view],  and  by  others  a.  d. 
97."  And  thus  all  writers  have  expressed  their  several 
preferences  to  a  probability  ranging  from  a.  d.  68  onward 
to  A.  d.  97.  But  even  the  earliest  date  is  too  late  a  prob- 
ability to  trust  without  a  single  real  Scriptural  support. 
It  has  been  said,  because  John  in  his  Gospel  does  not 
mention  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (as  Luke)  that  there- 
fore he  must  have  written  after  that  event.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  would  appear  that  had  he  written  after  the  de- 
struction of  the  holy  city  and  the  scattering  of  the  Jewish 
people,  he  would  have  mentioned  the  fact  as  a  fulfillment 
of  the  Lord's  prophecy  as  recorded  by  Luke  (ch.  xxi.  2). 
And  would  he  have  said  (ch.  v.  2),  ''Now  there  is  at  Jeru- 
salem, by  the  sheep  market,  a  pool,"  etc.,  if  he  was  writing 
years  after  the  city  was  destroyed  and  plowed  up  as  a  field? 
But  a  reputable  class  of  writers,  from  a  statement  of 
Irenaeus,  bring  the  writing  of  Revelation  down  to  a.  d. 
96,  under  Domitian,  which  would  bring  the  offence  of 
John's  Gospel  also  down  to  about  a.  d.  86,  or  early  in  that 
Emperor's  reign,  and  over  fifty  years  after  the  ascen- 
sion, which  is  next  to  incredible.  The  Scripture  clues  are 
better  than  anything  that  can  be  drawn  from  the  con- 
fused and  contradictory  statements  of  the  fathers.  John's 
Gospel  "record"  undoubtedly  caused  the  exile,  during  which 
he  received  the  Eevelation,  not  later  than  a.  d.  54  or  55, 
which  latter  fact,  from  a  strong  Scriptural  clue,  will  ap- 
pear incontrovertible  when  we  reach  the  message  to  the 
Church  of  Ephesus  (the  date,  p.  73).  And  that  Gospel,  or 
"testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,"  to  have  stirred  up  the  powers 
of  Rome  to  the  point  of  banishing  John  from  the  Empire, 
as  he  positively  asserts,  must  therefore  have  been  written 


36  DIVINE    KEY    OF   THE    REVELATION.         [part  I. 

as  early  as  a.  d.  50 — eighteen  to  twenty-eight  years  earlier 
than  Drs.  Clarke  and  Smith  have  suggested,  and  even  then 
twenty  years  after  Jesus'  ascension!  Twenty  years,  even, 
not  to  say  sixty-seven  with  the  latest  view,  was  a  long  time, 
as  one  would  think,  for  a  beloved  disciple  and  "eye  wit- 
ness" to  have  delayed  his  "testimony"  concerning  the  won- 
derful work,  teachings,  death,  resurrection  and  ascension 

of  his  Lord.  But  fifty  years'  delay,  until 
The  Apostle  j^g  ^j^g  g^  decrepit  old  man,  eighty,  or  as 
Not  a  Dilatory  gome  will  havc  it,  ninety  years  of  age,  is, 
Witness.  ^g  J  havc  Said,  too  incredible  to  consider; 

and  I  cannot  believe  that  the  beloved  dis- 
ciple of  his  Lord  was  so  dilatory  as  to  procrastinate  his 
"testimony"  to  that  late  period  of  his  life.  John,  that  was 
always  nearest  the  Master;  that  was  first  at  His  side  after 
His  arrest;  that  stood  by  His  cross  when  all  his  brethren 
had  fled;  that  outran  Peter,  and  was  the  first  man  at  His 
tomb  after  the  news  of  His  resurrection;  that  was  "im- 
mediately in  the  Spirit"  when  the  voice  announced  the 
opened  door  (ch.  iv.);  that  was  "about  to  write"  as  soon 
as  tlie  seven  thunders  had  spoken  (ch.  x.  4),  and  Avas  only 
prevented  by  eommaddment;  incredible,  I  say,  that  he 
would  delay  his  important  "record  of  the  Word  of  God," 
his  "testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,"  until  he  trembled  with 
the  weight  of  years!  And  it  would  seem  extremely  doubt- 
ful also,  that  even  a  pagan  Emperor  would  banish  a  man 
of  that  age,  or  that  God  would  choose  such  an  aged  man 
for  the  great  revelation  of  Patmos!  Where  is  a  precedent 
to  be  found  in  all  God's  choices  of  agencies? 

SECRET    OF    THIS    CONFUSION    OF    DATES. 

The  importance  of  finding,  as  nearly  as  possible,  the 
true  date  of  John's  work  will  be  appreciated,  and  will 
reward  the  reader's  patience  in  this  effort  to  unearth  what 


CHAP.  I  ]  THE   WRITER    AND    DATE.  37 

misconception,  prejudice  and  bias  concerning  an  under- 
standing of  the  strange  symbols  portrayed  to  the  Apostle 
has  so  successfully  covered  from  a  casual  view,  when  its 
bearing  on  exposition  is  met  in  the  very  first  message  to 
the   Church.    Many   of  the   early  writers   and   so-called 
fathers  held  mistaken  views  relative  to  the  heads  of  the 
leopard   beast   (ch.    xiii.),    supposing   them   to    symbolize 
seven  Roman  emperors,  when  nothing  could  have  been  fur- 
ther from  truth,  as  we  now  know  it.    They  looked  also  for 
a  personal  antichrist  to  be  developed  in  one  of  those  early 
emperors;  and  more  strangely  still,  associated  the  ^'anti- 
christ"  with  the  head  that  was  "as  it  were  wounded  to 
death,"  and  was  healed.    By  some  strange  freak  in  count- 
ing the  emperors,  such  as  only  the  fanaticism  of  religious 
prejudice  could  devise,  and  which  history  no  more  war- 
rants than  do  the  Scriptures  their  application  of  the  proph- 
ecy, they  made  out  Nero  (who  really  banished  John)  to 
be  both  the  antichrist  and  the  "wounded  head" — to  be 
"healed"  by  rising  from  his  grave!    The  Church  was  filled 
with  that  vain  and  fanatical  speculation,  and  troubled  with 
the  constant  and  idle  expectation  of  the  revival  of  the 
dreaded  Nero — more  dreadful  as  the  prophetic  antichrist 
and  "man  of  sin"  in  the  temple  of  God.    Other  "fathers," 
furiously  disgusted  at  these  insane  extravagancies  (and  in 
a  degree  rightly  so)  sought,  by  ignoring  Julius  Caesar  and 
the  short-termed  emperors,  Galba,  Otho,  Vitellius,  either 
to  put  the  antichristian  crown  on  the  head  of  Domitian 
(who  also  inaugurated  a  bloody  war  upon  the  Church),  or 
else  at  least  to  bring  down  the  banishment  of  John  and 
the  writing  of  the  Eevelation  into  that  reign,  and  thus, 
by  some  means  or  any  means,  to  rid  the  whole  subject  of 
the  Neronian  expectation  and  heresy.     All  parties  took 
sides  in  this  controversy,  which  is  undoubtedly  the  true 
secret  of  the  confusion  concerning  this  date,  which  is  still 


38  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.  [part  I. 

SO  perplexing  to  students  and  encyclopedists.  The  date 
became  a  watchword  or  a  target  for  parties  in  the  strife, 
and  soon  the  weather-vane  of  opinion  and  conjecture  in  the 
study  of  the  Book. 

EARLY    CHURCH    AUTHORITY    ON    THE    DATE. 

But  even  so  far  as  so-called  "authorities"  go,  the  early 

date  stands  as  good  a  showing  as  the  later. 
Dean  Aiford's  pg^n  Alford  quotcs  Epiphauius  (fourth 
Q^notations.         ccutury)  in  two  passages  where  he  says 

(1)  that  John's  return  from  Patmos  "took 
place  under  Claudius  Caesar  f  (2)  that  he  prophesied  long 
ago  in  the  days  of  Claudius  Caesar,  when  he  was  in  the 
Island  of  Patmos."  (New  Test,  for  Eng.  Readers.)  It 
seems  to  have  been  taken  for  granted  by  those  who  have 
criticised  Epiphanius  in  this  that  he  referred  to  the  fourth 
emperor,  usually  styled  Claudius,  instead  of  the  fifth,  com- 
monly called  Nero.  But  this  is  not  certain  or  necessary, 
for  the  two  names  in  full  are  very  similar:  (1)  Tiberius 
Claudius  Drusus  Nero  (a.  d,  41-54);  (2)  Nero  Clau- 
dius C^SAR  Drusus  Germanicus  (a.  d.  54-68).  Nero 
and  Claudius  being  in  both  names,  and  Csesar  in  but  the 
latter,  it  is  probable,  almost  certain,  that  Epiphanius  dis- 
tinguished the  latter  emperor  by  adding  Csesar  to  Clau- 
dius, the  same  as  the  old  Syriac  version  (above  quoted)  did 

by  adding  Csesar  to  Nero.  Eoy,  author  of 
Roy  and  Bishop  ^]^g  Hebrew  and  Greek  Dictionary,  says 
Newton's  ^j^at  "Epiphauius,  Tertullian,  Origen,  An- 

Testimony.  ^pg^s   and   Arcthas,   all   assert   that   the 

Eevelation  was  written  before  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  reign  of  Nero.  Bishop  New- 
ton, and  many  otlier  eminent  men,  were  of  the  same  opin- 
ion."   {Expos,  of  the  Book  of  Rev.,  p.  5.) 

Some  writers  will  have  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
in  the  question,  but  for  no  reason  that  any  modern  expo- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE  WRITER  AND   DATlj;.  39 

sition  can  recognize.  Thus  Dr.  Jackson 
Dr.  jackson*M  g^yg^  "^j^g  choice  [of  datcs]  lies  between 
statement.  ^    j,.  68  or  69,  and  A.  D.  96— i.  e.,  prior 

or  subsequent  to  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem. The  preponderance  of  scholarly  opinion  inclines 
to  the  earlier  date,  but  the  arguments  [he  thinks]  are 
evenly  balanced."  {Johnson's  Univer.  Ency.)  Dr.  Kitto 
writes  thus:  "The  language  of  Tertul- 
Dr.  Kitto's  ijan,  Clement  and  Origen,  is  more  appro- 

Testimonr.  priate  to  Nero  than  to  Domitian.     Thus 

Eusebius,  who  follows  Irenseus,  associates 
-the  Patmos  exile  with  the  death  of  Peter  and  Paul,  who 
suffered  under  Nero."    {Cyclo.  of  Bib.  Lit.,  Vol.  II,  p.  62.) 
The  testimony  altogether  seems  clear  for  the  banish- 
ment of  John  by  Nero,  the  fifth  emperor  from  Augustus, 
A.  D.  54  or  55.     And  yet  it  is  not  impossible  from  the 
disturbances  that  were  in  the  empire  even  in  the  days 
of  Claudius,  the  fourth  emperor  (in  case  that  Epiphanius'" 
reference — which  is  so  improbable — was  to  the  former 
Claudius),  that  John  may  have  been  banished  as  early  as 
A.  D.  50,  in  that  reign.     Dean  Merivale,  the  historian, 
speaking  of  the  condition  of  the  scattered  Jews,  says: — 
"They  were  agitated  year  by  year  with  rumors  of  new 
Messiah's  appearing  on  the  streets  of  Jeru- 
Qaotation  from  gajem,  or  on  the  slopes  of  the  wilderness, 
Dean  Merivale.   g^d  drawing  after  them   excited  multi- 
tudes, till  their  career  was  rudely  inter- 
cepted by  the  Eoman  sword.    The  direct  establishment  of 
the  Eoman  power  in  Palestine  by  Claudius,  followed  so 
soon  upon  the  brutal  attack  of  Caius  [Caligula],  seems  to 
have  driven  this  frantic  population  of  Judea  to  a  succession 
of  desperate  outbreaks.    Among  the  Jewish  sojourners  in 
foreign  cities,  connected  as  they  were  by  constant  inter- 
course ^ith  their  native  land,  the  same  restless  feeling  was 


40  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.  [parT  I. 

speedily  manifested.  It  is  thus  that  we  can  best  explain 
the  hasty  notice  of  Suetonius,  when  he  states  that  Clau- 
dius once  more  expelled  the  Jews  from  Home,  on  account 
of  their  repeated  riots  at  the  instigation  of  a  certain 
Chrestus.  This  name,  as  is  well  known,  was  a  form  of  the 
title  Christos,  the  anointed  Messiah  *  *  the  watchword, 
no  doubt,  of  the  disturbers  of  peace  in  the  city,  who  looked 
at  every  fresh  arrival  of  exciting  news  from  home,  for  a 
divine  manifestation  in  favor  of  the  Kingdom  of  God." 
{History  of  the  Romans  iindcr  the  Empire,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  2G3.) 
In  the  Miles  Martindale  Dictionary  of  the  Bible  is  a 
statement  concerning  the  edict  of  Clau- 
M.  Martimiaie's  (-"^^^^g  (^j^g  fourth  Empcror)  "expelling  all 
saggestion.  jg^^g  ^^^  ^f  Eome,"  and  confirming  the 
,  above  poplar  charge  against  Christ  as  cur- 
rent at  that  time.  (Acts  xviii.  2. — It  was  through  the 
work  of  the  Apostles,  of  course,  since  Jesus  Himself  as- 
cended seven  years  before  Claudius'  reign  began,  and  his 
consequent  rage.)  He  quotes  Suetonius  (who  wrote  early 
in  the  second  century),  and  says:  "It  is  very  probable  that 
the  Christians,  who  were  at  that  time  confounded  with  the 
Jews,  were  banished  fhence  likewise."  {In  loco.)  The 
reasonableness  of  this  latter  suggestion  will  at  once  appear, 
since  it  was  not  that  they  were  Jews,  but  that  they  were 
believing  in  Christ  and  falsely  charged  with  tumult.  (See 
Acts  xvii.  3-8;  xxiv.  5,  12,  13,  17-18;  xxv.  7,  8.)  These 
Scriptures  explain  the  true  cause  of  the  excitement  noted 
in  the  last  two  quotations,  and  Claudius'  edict  and  rage, 
and  are  strongly  in  favor  of  the  early  date  of  the  banish- 
ment under  one  of  the  Claudiuses.  And 
Mosheim  Moshcim  further  confirms  the  probability 

Confirms  whcu   hc  says:    "It  is  certain   that  the 

Martiniiaie.         \q^^  euactcd  against  the  Christians  were 
enacted  against  the  whole  body,  and  not 


CHAP.  I.]  THE  \vritp:r  and  date.  41 

against  particular  churches,  and  were  consequently  in  force 
in  the  remotest  provinces.  The  authority  of  Tertullian 
confirms  this."  (Ecd.  Hist.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  32.)  Another  writer, 
recounting  the  cruelties  and  murders  of  Nero,  says:  "He 
also  executed,  or  banished,  many  persons  highly  distin- 
guished for  integrity  and  virtue."    {Interna.  Cyclo.) 

It  is  therefore  almost  certain  that  John  wrote  his 
Gospel,  which  caused  his  exile,  during  the  Claudian  period 
(that  of  the  fourth  Emperor),  long  before  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  while  the  excitement  was  rife  among  the 
Jews  in  expectation  of  the  Messiah,  and  they  were  stirring 
up  the  people  everywhere  against  any  belief  that  Jesus 
was  the  Son  of  God,  and  causing  the  Christians  the  great- 
est trouble,  both  from  local  and  imperial  authority.  And 
it  was  the  Apostles,  the  "ringleaders  of  the  sect  of  the 
Nazarenes,"  who  were  arrested  and  executed  and  banished. 
Twenty  years  had  passed  since  the  miracles,  crucifixion 
and  resurrection  of  the  true  Messiah;  a  new  generation 
had  come  upon  the  scene,  and  what  was  more  neces- 
sary under  the  present  conditions  than  the 
Lnke  AVrote  written  tcstimouy  of  the  eye-witnesses? 
Late  In  A.  D.  CO.  Thcrc  is  uo  qucstion  that  Luke  wrote  his 
Gospel  under  Nero  (the  second  Claudius) 
about  A.  D.  60.  But  he  says  that  many  before  him  had 
"taken  in  hand  to  set  forth  in  order  a  declaration  of  those 
things  which  are  most  surely  believed  among  us,  even  as 
they  delivered  them  unto  us  [*^],  who  'from  the  beginning' 
were  'eye-xvitncsscs'  and  ministers  of  the  Word.'''  ]\[ust 
we  not  think  that  these  "eye-witnesses"  and  "ministers  of 
the  "Word"  included  John  the  Apostle,  whose  very  words 
were  cited — an  "eye-witness"  from  "the  beginning?"  And 
must  not  those  things  "set  forth  in  order,"  and  surely  be- 
lieved, have  included  John's  Gospel?    But  I  will  not  follow 


42 


DIVINE   KEY   OP  THE   REVELATION. 


this  point  further  here;  we  will  find  some  strong  internal 
evidence,  as  I  have  said,  in  connection  with  the  Church 

of  Ephesiis  (p.  70). 


CHAPTEK  II. 
GOD'S  INTEODUCTION. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  COOK GLIMPSES  OF  THE  DAVIDIAN 

OR   GOSPEL   KINGDOM — THE    LORd's    DAY. 

Text,  Chapter  i.  3. 

"Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that 
hear  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  and  keep  those 
things  which  are  written  therein ;  for  the  time  is 
at  hand." 

THE  blessing  here  promised  is  not  to  him  who  shall 
exhibit  the  best  natural  nor  acquired  abilities  to 
understand  the  book,  nor  to  expound  the  difficult 
problems  of  the  prophecy — not  that,  that  would  confine 
the  blessing"  to  a  very  few  of  "His  servants;"  but  to  the 
reader  and  hearer;  to  every  individual  who  gives  attention, 
such  as  he  can,  and  keeps — holds  in  loving  remembrance 
and  reverence — the  words  of  his  Lord's  communication, 
and  yields  ready  obedience  to  its  requirements.  Suppose 
indifferent  and  careless  people  say,  "There  is  no  use  in 
vexing  ourselves  with  those  strange  figures;  zve  can  never 
understand  them."  Are  they  not  plainly  doubting — if  un- 
consciously— the  wisdom,  power  and  providence  of  God  to 
make  it  profitable  to  them?  Is  not  God  "more  willing"  to 
give  wisdom,  even  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  those  who  ask  it, 
"than  earthly  parents  are  to  give  good  gifts  unto  their 
children?"  Could  we  comprehend  the  love  of  God  before 
He  forgave  our  sins  as  well  as  we  do  now?    But  was  that 

43 


44  DIVINK    KEY   OF   THK    REVELATION.  [part  I. 

the  extent  of  His  love,  or  the  end  of  His  power?  Shall 
we  impeach  the  wisdom  of  God  by  saying  it  cannot  benefit 
nor  instruct  us  to  study  this  book,  because  it  is  symbolic, 
and  more  difficult  to  understand,  when  it  was  so  carefully 
given  the  Church  as  a  revelation  f  or  shall  we  impeach  His 
love,  by  saying  that  He  did  not  even  intend  we  should 
understand  it;  that  it  is  only  an  idle  curiosity,  filled  with 
vexing,  puzzling,  unprofitable  wonderments?  On  the  con- 
trary, I  imderstand  it  is  a  wonderful  faith-tester  and  faith- 
developer.  If  we  only  believe  that  we  are  reading  or  hear- 
ing a  revelation  from  God  through  Jesus,  and  know  that 
we  are  keeping  the  words  of  His  wonderful  prophecy,  the 
blessing  of  understanding  it  will  surely  follow.  The  prom- 
ised blessing  will  be  the  understanding  of  it. 

"For  the  time  is  at  hand." — Time  for  under- 
standing all  prophetic  visions.  Prophecy  has  almost 
reached  its  culmination,  as  it  spans  the  last  historic  arch  of 
time,  leaping  triumphantly  from  Advent  to  Advent!  And 
this  is  a  reason  assigned  that  such  a  blessing  should  follow 
faithful  attention  to  it.  We  have  seen  that  in  Daniel's 
prophecy  the  time  was  long;  immediate  understanding  was 
not  necessary,  and  therefore  the  vision 
Time  of  ^^g  sealed  up  to  "the  time  of  the  end" — 

the  End.  till  |-]^e  ^jj^e  should  be  "at  hand,"  when 

an  understanding  would  be  necessary. 
The  Revelation  came  at  a  time  when  the  unsealing  should 
begin,  unfolding  event  after  event,  in  order  to  an  under- 
standing— a  premonition  of  ending  probation,  and  dawn- 
ing eternity,  so  necessary  to  be  known  by  all  men;  there- 
fore the  seal  was  withheld  from  this  prophecy  (cli.  xxii. 
10),  removed  from  Daniel's,  and  the  blessing  of  under- 
standing put  in  its  place. 


chap.  ii.]  importance  of  the  book.  45 

John's  introduction. 
Text,  Chapter  i.  4-10. 

4.  John  to  the  seven  churches  which  are  in  Asia :  Grace  be 
unto  you,  aud  peace,  from  Him  who  is,  and  who  was,  and  who  is  to 
come  ;  and  from  the  seven  Spirits  that  are  before  His  throne  ; 

5.  And  from  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  faithful  witness,  and  the 
first  begotten  of  the  dead,  and  the  prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth. 
Unto  Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His  own 

blood, 

6.  Aud  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  aud  His 
Father  ;  to  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.    Amen. 

7.  Behold,  He  cometh  with  clouds  ;  and  every  eye  shall  see 
Him,  and  they  also  that  pierced  Him  ;  and  all  kindreds  of  the  earth 
shall  wail  because  of  Him.     Even  so,  Amen. 

8.  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  ending, 
saith  the  Lord,  who  is,  and  who  was,  and  who  is  to  come,  the  Al- 
mighty. 

9.  I,  John,  who  also  am  your  brother,  and  companion  in  tribu- 
lation, and  in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ,  was  in  the 
isle  that  is  called  Patmos,  for  the  Word  of  God,  aud  for  the  testi- 
mony of  Jesus  Christ. 

10.  I  was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  heaid  behind 
me  a  great  voice,  as  of  a  trumpet. 

"The  seven  churches." — It  will  be  better  to  con- 
sider the  symbolic  churches  at  their  next  mention,  verse 
eleven.  Asia  is  not  repeated  in  that  place  in  the  oldest 
manuscripts,  but  its  being  here  is  complete  authority  for 
the  filled  elipsis  there. 

"  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace." — This  apostolic 
benediction  of  grace,  mercy  and  peace  has 
An  Apostolic  ^j^g  apostolic  ring,  and  seems  to  further 
Benediction.  confirm  the  apostolic  identity  of  the 
writer,  Paul  uses  it  in  opening  and  closing 
all  his  fourteen  epistles,  save  in  the  opening  to  the  He- 
brews. Peter,  also,  except  in  closing  his  second  epistle. 
John,  in  opening  his  second  epistle  and  closing  his  third. 
And  Jude,  in  opening  his.  This  little  strazv,  small  though 
it  may  seem,  and  unnoticed  by  those  mistaught  expositors 
who  put  so  little  of  the  answer  of  prophecy  into  the  Gos- 


46  DIVINE   KEY    OF   THE    REVEI.ATION.  [part  I. 

pel  age,  and  so  much  of  it  into  the  so-called  "millennium/' 
or  "age-to-come/'  which  should  point  the  closer  student  to 
the  great  prophetic  consummation,  so  far  as  concerns  the 
prophetic  ages,  as  being  answered  fully  in  our  own  Gospel 
period.  The  prophets  put  it  in  sharp  contrast  with  what 
Moses  and  the  law  had  given  to  the  world.  Both  the  law 
and  the  prophets  made  their  obeisance  to  the  Son  of  God 
on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration;  and  the  veiled  glory  that 
was  was  immediately  eclipsed  and  lost,  like  moon  and  star 
at  sunrise,  in  the  "open-face"  glory  of  the  Son  of  God. 
For  the  same  voice  that  commissioned  Moses  and  Elijah 
in  their  day,  now  commanded  them  (in  vision  and  repre- 
sentatively) into  the  presence  of  the  glorified  and  glorify- 
ing Jesus,  and  said,  "Hear  ye  Him."  All  the  prophets 
saw  His  glory  and  wrote  of  it.  All  power  in  Heaven  and 
earth  was  about  to  be  put  into  His  hand,  "by  reason  of  the 
glory  which  excelleth:"  "that  in  the  dispensation  of  the 
fullness  of  times  [the  Gosepl  age]  He  might  gather  to- 
gether in  one  all  things  in  Christ."  This  is  the  true  and 
more  than  "millennial"  glory  in  the  age  that  has  come.* 

"From  Him  who  is,  and  who  was,  and  who 
is  to  come." — A  word»  description  of  the  eternal  nature 
of  God,  similar  to  the  Prophet  Daniel's  descriptive  phrase, 
"The  Ancient  of  Days" — the  ever-existing  Father. 

The  seven  Spirits  of  God  will  be  treated  in  connec- 
tion with  the  seven  churches. 

"And  from  Jesus  Christ,  the  faithful  witness." 
— The  Pharisees  withstood  Jesus  and  sought  to  invalidate 

♦These  thoughts  run  all  througli  the  Revelation,  according  to  the  prophets 
and  apostles,  but  cannot  be  followed  here ;  yet  a  comparison  of  the  following 
texts  will  not  only  warrant  the  above  notice,  but  bespeak  the  reader's  further 
and  closer  attention.  Compare  the  "  grace  and  peace  "  benediction  of  the  text, 
and  of  the  apostolic  epistles  with  Psalms  Ixxii.  3,  7,  8;  Ixxxv.  7-11 ;  cxxii.  4-8; 
Isa.  ix.  6,7;  xxxii.  15-18;  Hi.  7;  liv.  10-13  (John  xiv.  2G ;  IJohn  ii.  20-27; 
Isa.  xi.  9,  10;  Jer.  xxxi.  31);  Zech.  ix.  10;  Mic.  v.  4,5;  Luke  i.  79;  ii.  14;  xvi. 
4,9,  16;  xix.  42;  John  i.  16,  17;  Acts  x.  36;  Rom.  v.  1,  2;  xiv.  17;  xv.  12,13; 
Eph.  ii.  13-17,  etc. 


CHAP.  ]I.]  GLIMPSES    OF   THE    KINGDOM.  47 

His  testimony.    They  said,  "Thou  bearest  record  of  Thy- 
self, Thy  record  is  not  true."     But  the 
Two  Faithful     Loj.(j  answered,  "Though  I  bear  record  of 
witnesses.  Mysclf,  yet  My  record  is  true;  *   *   *  for 

I  am  not  alone,  but  I  and  the  Father  who 
sent  Me.  It  is  also  written  in  your  law,  that  the  testimony 
of  two  men  is  true.  I  am  one  that  bear  witness  of  Myself, 
and  the  Father  who  sent  Me  beareth  witness  of  Me."  (John 
viii:  13-18.)  We  shall  find  these  two  witnesses  under  sym- 
bol in  Chapter  xi. 

"  The  first  begotten  of  the  dead." — The  original 
term  here  is  prototokos,  first-^orn,  not  begotten,  and  is  so 
rendered  by  the  Emphatic  Diaglott  and  other  critical  ver- 
sions, as  in  Colossians  i:  18.     Said  Jesus, 

Divine    Seal  arpj^^^  ^j^-^j^  -^  ^^^^  ^f  ^^le  flesh  is  flcsh; 

of  the  gjj(j  ^j^^^  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is 

Testimony.  ^^^y^^  (Johu  iii.  6;  1  Cor.  XV.  44-4G;  Gal. 

vi.  7,  8).  Our  Lord  was  made  perfect 
through  sufferings"  (Heb.  ii.  9,  10);  for  "He  was  made 
of  the  seed  of  David  according  to  the  flesh,  and  [through 
it  reached  the  perfect  and  divine  nature,  and]  was  declared 
to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power,  according  to  the  spirit 
of  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead"  (Romans  i. 
3,  4).  Others  have  been  raised  from  the  dead  to  the  flesh 
life  (only  to  die  again  in  the  order  of  nature),  as  examples 
of  resurrection  power;  but  Jesus  "ever  liveth,"  He  is  "alive 
forevermore" — "the  first-^or»  of  the  dead." 

"  The  prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth."— The 

prince  of  demons  is  necessarily  a  demon; 
A  Prince  of  qj^^  ^j^g  priuce  of  merchants,  a  merchant; 
Kin^B  Must  ^jj^  gQ  Christ,  to  be  prince  among  kings, 
***  *  must  at  the  same  time  be,  de  facto,  a  king. 

Reigninif  King,  rp^ig  ^^s  "the  good  confcssion"   which 

Jesus  "witnessed  before  Pilate"  (1  Tim. 


48  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.         [part  I. 

vi.  13),  which  the  Jews  "denied"  (Acts  iii.  13;  compare 
John  xviii.  33-39;  xix.  13-22).  Paul  preached  "another 
King,  one  Jesus"  (Acts  xvii,  7).  "All  power  in  Heaven  and 
in  earth"  was  given  into  His  hand  at  His  ascension  and 
enthronement  "on  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  the  Maj- 
esty in  the  Heavens"  (Matt,  xxviii.  18;  Heb.  viii.  1). 
"Therefore  let  all  the  house  of  Israel  know  assuredly,  that 
God  HATH  made  that  same  Jesus  whom  ye  crucified,  both 
Lord  [Euler,  King]  and  Christ"  (Acts  ii.  3G;  xiii.  32,  33). 
"Of  His  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end,"  said  Gabriel  to 
Mary  (Luke  i.  33).  His  reign,  and  all  that  is  Davidian  of 
His  throne,  will  end  by  divine  limitation  when  the  divine 
purpose,  through  priestly  power  and  mediation,  is  accom- 
plished in  the  redemption  of  God's  kingdom  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  God's  will  in  the  earth.  For  the  Apostle,  by 
ins])iration,  has  declared  it:  read— 

(1  Cor.  XV.  24-28.) 

24.  Then  cometh  the  end,  when  He  [Christ]  shall  have  de 
livered  up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father  ;  when  He  [Christ] 
shall  have  put  down  all  rule,  and  all  authority  and  power. 

25.  For  He  [Christ]  must  reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies 
under  his  feet.  > 

26.  The  last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is  death. 

27.  For  He  [God]  hath  put  all  things  under  His  feet.  But 
when  He  saith,  All  things  are  put  under  Him  [Christ]  it  is  manifest 
that  He  [God]  is  excepted,  who  did  put  all  things  under  Him 
[Christ.] 

28.  And  when  all  things  shall  be  subdued  unto  Him  [Christ], 
then  shall  the  Sou  also  Himself  be  subject  unto  Him  [God]  that  put 
all  things  under  Him  [Christ]  that  GOD  may  be  Ai<i,  in  ai,l. 

To  deny  Jesus'  present  reign  on  the  throne  and  in 
the  kingdom  of  David  (and  of  God),  and  defer  it  to  the 
"millennium,"  or  a  supposed  age  subsequent  to  the  Gospel 
dispensation,  is  to  misplace  every  relative  prophecy  in  the 
Psalms,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and  the  lesser  prophets, 


CHAP.  II.]  GLIMPSES    OF   THE    KINGDOM.  49 

and  deny  what  the  Apostles  said  of  it  in  the  above 
passages  and  elsewhere.  The  present  reign  of  Christ  is 
His  present  glory;  and  the  throne,  dynasty  or  power  of 
David  (and  of  God)  is  as  snrely  the  present  throne  of  His 
glory.  (Type,  1  Chron.  xxviii.  5;  xxix.  33;  2  Chron.  ix.  8. 
Antitype,  Psa.  Ixxxix.  1-6,  35-37;  Isa.  Iv.  1-5.) 

"And  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto 
God." — This  associated  ofHciation  or  reign  in  the  kingdom 
of  God  (and  of  David)  will  be  found  strik- 
A  Joint  ingly  apparent  when  we  reach  the  symbol- 

Reigrn.  jgj^^  Q-f  ^j^g  fourth  chapter  (which  see)  and 

other  places.  It  was  promised  by  the 
Lord  to  the  twelve  in  a  special  manner,  Matt.  xix.  27-30; 
(Lnke  xviii.  28-30;)  xxii.  25-30;  and  affirmed  by  Paul,  Col. 
i.  13;  and  by  Peter,  1st  p]pis.  ii.  9,  as  clearly  as  here,  in 
verse  9,  and  elsewhere. 

"  To  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever  and 
ever," — This  divine  ascription  of  glory 
A  Giorions  j^j^^|    clonuiiiou   cau   rcfcp   only   to    Jesus' 

Reisn.  prcscut  glorious  reign,  of  which  the  Scrip- 

tiires  reveal  but  one,  and  that  "in  Hcavoi" 
not  in  Palestine  ;  while  the  rule,  as  heired  from  David,  is, 
of  course,  over  mortal  Israel  in  the  earth:  "Lo,  I  am  zvith 
you  always,"  He  said.  For  proofs,  add  to  the  former  cita- 
tions Psa.  ex.  1-6;  cxxxii.  8-18;  Jer.  xxxiii.  14-17;  Eze. 
xxxiv.  22-26;  Dan.  vii.  12,  13;  Zech.  vi.  11-13,  etc. 

"Behold,  He  cometh  with  clouds." — This  is  the 
second  coming  of  Jesus,  and  the  key-note  of  this  Eevela- 
tion.  Every  event  revealed  therein  has  its  relationship  to 
this  greatest  of  all  events  fixed — near  to  or  remote  from  it 
— according  to  its  place  in  the  septenary  scale  always  be- 
fore us  in  the  series  of  symbolic  churches,  seals,  trumpets, 
plagues,  etc.  Some  may  say  this  is  a  part  of  the  Kevelation 
proper,  and  therefore  a  symbolic  coming.    But  John  knew 


50  DIVINE    KEY    OF   THE    REVEI.ATION.         [part  I. 

this  perfectly  well  already,  from  the  literal  words  both  of 
Jesus  while  here  (Matt.  xxiv.  30),  and  of  the  angels  at 
His  ascension  (Acts  i.  9-11). 

"And  every  eye  shall  see  Him,  and  they,  also, 
that  pierced  Him." — The  subject  of  John's  thought 
here  is  the  I'isibility  of  tJic  advent,  only, 
visibility  of  .^y^^  j^Q^^  gg  jg  sometimes  supjjosed,  the 
tiie  Advent.  universality  of  the  resurrection:  only  liv- 
ing eyes  can  logically  be  understood  from 
such  an  unqualified  statement.  The  Jezvs  are  the  parties 
guilty  of  piercing  Jesus.  They  clamored  for  His  crucifix- 
ion, and  when  Pilate  washed  his  hand  of  the  guilt, they  said 
"His  blood  be  upon  us  and  on  our  children"  (Matt,  xxvii. 
24,  25;  Acts  ii.  22,  23;  v.  28-30).  Tliey  came  therefore 
under  the  curses  predicted  by  Moses,  which,  he  said,  "shall 
be  upon  thee  for  a  sign  and  for  a  wonder,  and  upon  thy 
seed  forever  (Dent,  xxviii.  46).  But  if  possible,  John  re- 
ferred to  the  very  indiA'iduals  who  plead  for  His  death  in 
the  presence  of  Pilate;  who  were  accused  at  Pentecost  of 
His  murder,  were  pricked  in  their  heart,  and  cried  out, 
"Men  and  lirethivn,  Avhat  sluill  we  do?"  they  must  have 
been  inchuled  in  the  three  thousand  wlu)m  Peter  and  his 
helpers  baptized  in  His  name,  adding  them  to  the  Church 
(Acts  ii.  22,  23,  37-41).  They  thus  came  under  the  pledge 
of  Christ  (John  vi.  39,  40;  44,  45;  53,  54;  xi.  24,  25; 
Koraans  viii.  11;  2  Cor.  iv.  13,  14;  Phil.  iii.  10-12;  2  Tim. 
ii.  18,  19,  etc.),  and  will  be  awakened  in  time  to  behold  the 
glory  of  His  descent. 

"And  all  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail  be- 
cause of  Him." — Jesus  had  also  described  the  weeping 
of  the  unready  tribes  of  the  earth  at  sight  of  His  sign  in 
Heaven  (Matt.  xxiv.  27,  30).  It  will  be  the  saddest  wail- 
ing that  will  ever  go  up  from  the  earth,  because  absolutely 
inconsolable  and  hopeless;  the  throne  of  grace  and  mercy 


CHAP.  II.]  GLIMPSES    OF    THE    KINGDOM.  5I 

will  have  been  vacated  forever!  But  it  will  not  be  an  eter- 
nity of  sadness  and  woe,  as  men  have  tanght,  for  they  will 
not  be  without  one  element  of  mercy  even  in  their  destruc- 
tion. Brimstone,  in  an  execution  by  fire,  is  a  mercy — tak- 
ing life  very  quickly.  And  Jesus  Himself  said,  it  shall  be 
"as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Lot;  they  did  eat,  they  drank, 
they  bought,  they  sold,  they  planted,  they  builded;  but  the 
same  day  that  Lot  went  out  of  Sodom  it  rained  fire  and 
brimstone  from  Heaven,  and  destroyed  them  all.  Even  thus 
shall  it  be  in  the  day  when  the  Son  of  Man  is  revealed." 
(Luke  xvii.  28,  30 — for  the  preservation  of  the  righteous, 
dead  and  living,  see  1  Thes.  iv.  14-18). 

"I  am  Alpha  and  Omega." — The  first  and  last 
letters  of  the  Greek  a] phal jet— symbols  of  "the  first  and 
tlie  last"  of  any  work.  These  are  the  first  words  of  the 
Voice  which  John  heard  (verse  11),  and  the  first  words 
of  the  Eevelation  proper:  John  has  interjected  them  here 
in  his  introduction,  for  he  credits  them  and  describes  the 
author  thus: — 

"  Saith  the  Lord,  that  is,  .  was,  and  .  is  to  come, 
the  Almighty." — John  seems  immediately  to  have  as- 
sociated this  first  symbol  given  him  with  God,  the  Al- 
mighty, the  author  of  the  Eevelation,  from  his  claim  as 
stated  in  Isaiah  xliv.  6;  xlviii.  12,  namely,  "I  am  the  first, 
and  I  am  the  last,"  etc.  He  had  made  the  same  application 
to  God  in  verse  4;  therefore,  those  who  apply  the  Alpha 
and  Omega  here  to  Christ,  as  in  chapters  ii.  8,  and  xxii. 
13,  are  not  in  harmony  with  John. 

"Companion  in  tribulation,  and  in  the  king- 
dom and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ." — John  here 
clearly  puts  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  where  the  tribulation 
and  patience  are.  It  is  through  "much 
A  Kingfiom  tribulation"  that  we  "must  enter  into  the 
De  Facto.  kiugdoui  of  God"  (Acts  xiv.  22).    He  who 

is  not  laboring  in  the  "kingdom  of  God 


52  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.  [PART  I. 

and  of  Christ"  now,  in  its  earthly  phase;  suffering  for,  and 
seeking,  its  development;  in  "patience"  waiting  for  its  tri- 
umph over  worldly  kingdoms,  until  in  their  utter  destruc- 
tion (through  the  smiting  of  Daniel  ii.  34,  35,  44,  45),  it 
only  shall  fill  the  world,  may  not  expect  to  be  glorified 
then.  Tribulation  and  the  exercise  of  patience  surely  can- 
not be  transferred  to  a  future  millennial  or  any  other  fan- 
cied age.  They  belong  now,  while  our  King-High  Priest 
rules  as  well  as  mediates,  and  that  "in  the  midst  of  his 
enemies"  (Zeeh.  vi.  13;  Psa.  ex.  2).  The  kingdom  of  God 
under  Moses  (Ex.  xix.  5,  6)  was  "the  Church  in  the  wilder- 
ness" (Acts  vii:  38),  and  the  kingdom  under  Jesus  is  the 
Church  of  the  ISTew  Covenant.  The  "rock"  of  the  wilder- 
ness Church  was  Christ  (1  Cor.  x.  4),  and  "upon  this  rock," 
said  Jesus,  "I  will  build  My  Church"  (Matt.  xvi.  18).  But 
to  Peter,  an  officer  in  the  Church,  for  confessing  the  true 
foundation,  our  Lord  in  the  next  verse  presents  the  "keys 
of  the  kingdom  of  Heaven" — power  to  loose  from,  or  bind 
men  in  sin!  And  in  Luke  xxii.  25,  30,  Jesus  places  the 
Apostles  of  the  Church  on  tzvclve  thrones,  appointing  them 
a  kingdom,  that  they  might  "eat  and  drink,"  said  He,  ''at 
My  table  [the  Lord's  tajjle,  or  table  of  the  Church]  in  My 
kingdom."  Aud  Paul  writes,  not  less  clearly,  that  God 
"hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath 
translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  His  dear  Son"  (Col.  i.  13). 
Here  is  a  kingdom  in  the  Church  of  Christ  (before 

intimated  in  verse  6),  with  apostolic  offi- 
Not  Carnal,  but  ggj-g^  j^  jg  j^q^  gf  i^^q  carnal  Order,  domi- 
Divine  Control,  j^ating  througli  physical  force,  and  carnal 

weapons,  like  Gentile  kingdoms;  but  a 
kingdom  of  voluntary  service,  through  conquest  of  the  zvill 
and  the  affections.  "My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world" 
(kosnios,  "order,  arrangement,  regulation,"  etc.),  said 
Jesus;  "if  My  kingdom  were  of  this  world  {kosmos,  order), 


CHAP.  II  ]  GLIMPSES    OF   THE    KINGDOM.  53 

then  would  My  servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  be  de- 
livered to  the  Jews;  but  now  is  not  my  kingdom  from 
hence" — not  from  this  place — earthly.  (John  xviii.  36.) 
It  is  Heavenly  in  its  nature,  not  earthly  and  brutal;  and 
its  power  is  love.  Its  keys  were  entrusted  to  Peter  for  use 
during  his  Apostleship;  with  one  he  opened  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  (in  its  third  and  last  formative  phase — see  page 
149)  to  the  Jewish  nation  on  the  day  of  Pentecost;  with 
the  other,  to  the  Gentile  world  at  the  house  of  Cornelius, 
three  and  one-half  years  later.  What  was  officially  loosed 
or  bound  on  earth  was  to  be  ratified  in  Heaven;  not  the 
notions,  prejudices  or  favor  in  the  minds  of  Peter  and 
his  fellow  Apostles,  nor  of  the  Church,  to  whom  the  same 
power  extended  in  its  official  and  proper  capacity  (Matt, 
xviii.  17,  18);  but  in  the  cooperation  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
while  preaching  justification — freeing  from  sin — through 
obedience  to  the  Gospel,  and  condemnation — binding  in 
sin — through  its  rejection,  and  in  deciding  any  questions 
of  Gospel  order  and  propriety  in  cases  of  contention  among 
brethren.  Therefore  eternal  conditions  to  all  subjects  of 
all  other  kingdoms  hinge  upon  the  official  deliverances  of 
the  Church  of  the  Son  and  heir  of  David  and  of  God;  for 
"the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,"  said  He,  "they  are 
spirit  and  they  are  life:"  they  "shall  judge"  them  "at  the 
last  day."  It  is  His  "kingdom"  over  Israel!  It  is  His 
"throne  of  glory!"  Let  all  the  earth  praise  Him,  and 
"Crown  Him  Lord  of  all!" 

**  Was  in  the  isle  that  is  called  Patmos." — A 
email  island  in  the  Mediterranean  sea,  ofi!  the  coast  of  Asia 
Minor,  It  contains  a  population  of  four  or  five  thousand. 
The  Monastery  of  "John  the  Divine"  is  there  since  the 
twelfth  century,  and  the  monks  point  you  to  a  natural 
grotto  in  the  rocks,  where  they  tell  you  that  John  wrote 
the  Revelation.    He  received  it  there  it  is  sure;  but  his  say- 


54  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.         [part  i. 

ing  that  he  "was  in  the  isle,"  etc.,  seems  to  convey  the  idea 
that  ho  had  escaped  at  the  time  of  his  writing. 

"For  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony 
of  Jesus  Christ." — In  describing  the  martyrdom  of  the 

fifth  period  of  tlie  Clnirch  (chapter  vi.  9),  Jolm  uses  this 
same  phrase.  Those  holy  martyrs  were  slain  for  holding  to 
the  Word  and  testimony  of  the  Prophets  and  Apostles; 
bnt  John  was  hanished  for  his  published  "record''  of  the 
Word  and  testimony,  having  l)een  an  eye-  and  ear-witness 
of  the  ministry  of  C'hrist,  as  I  have  previously  shown. 

"I  was  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's  day."— It  is 
true  that  Sunday  is  often  styled  the  Lord's  day,  having 
reference  to  Jesus'  resurrection.  But  we  must  not  so  inter- 
pret here,  that  John  was  "in  the  Spirit"  on  any  certain  day 
of  ilic  i^'cck,  because  that  would  mean  that  He  was  not  in 
the  Spirit  on  other  days  as  well.  The  Apostles  did  not  put 
on  and  off  religion,  as  is  said,  with  "Sunday  clothes."  They 
walked  in  the  Spirit,  were  led  by  the  Spirit,  and  were  filled 
with  the  Spirit,  all  the  days  of  the  weeks  and  months.  The 
Lord's  day  here  cannot,  therefore,  refer 
The  Lord's  ^^  Sunday.    In  the  Prophets,  the  Gospel 

Day  is  the  gge  is  c(illed  a  day.    "This  is  the  day  the 

Gospel  Day.  Lord  hath  made;  we  will  be  glad  and  re- 
joice in  it"  (Psa.  cxviii.  22-34).  "In  that 
day  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened  in  the  house  of  David 
and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  for  sin  and  unclean- 
ness"  (Zeeh.  xiii.  1).  "In  that  day  the  light  shall  not  l)e 
clear  nor  dark;  but  it  shall  be  one  day,  which  shall  be 
known  unto  the  Lord,  not  day  nor  night;  but  it  shall  come 
to  pass  that  at  evening  time  [the  'time  of  the  end']  it 
sball  be  light"  (Zeeh.  xiv.  G-8).  Again,  He  limiteth  a  cer- 
tain day,  saying  in  David  [/'.  c.  in  Psa.  xcv.  7],  "To-day, 
after  so  long  a  time,  as  it  is  said,  To-day  if  ye  will  hear  His 
voice,  harden  not  your  hearts"  (Heb   iv.  7).    "Exhort  one 


CHAP.  11. ]  THE  lord's  day  55 

another  daily  while  it  is  called  Today  etc.  (Heb.  iii,  13). 
Here  we  have  a  twenty-fuiir-hour  daily  running  al(jng  in 
the  syniholic  or  dispensational  day.  John  evidently  '"was 
in  the  S])irit  on,"  in  relation  to,  or  concerning,  the  day  of 
projfered  salvation,  the  (lospel  day  or  age.  He  donhtless 
was  in  a  special  way  oi  rapport  with  tlie  Spirit  for  the 
revelation.    (See  also  chapters  iv.  "3;  xvii.  ?>.) 

"And  heard  behind  me  a  great  voice." — There 
is  a  figure  even  in  the  fact  that  the  voice  came  from  he- 
hind  John- — meaning  behind  him  in  time,  or  chronologi- 
cally. For  in  a  literal  sense  there  would  be  no  significance 
worth  the  Apostle's  time  in  Avriting  the  statement,  whether 

the  voice  came  from  behind  him,  in  front 
The  Voice  ^f  ]\\\\\  or  from  One  side;  from  overhead 

Av^as  Behind  ^j.  inidcrfoot.  His  visious  are  to  cover 
John  in  Time,    ^j^g  history  of  tlic  wholc  Christian  age, 

which  spans  from  the  first  Advent  to  the 
second.  About  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  passed  since 
Jesus  finished  His  work  on  earth  and  ascended,  and  John 
is  in  Patmos.  He  has  written  the  earth  life  of  Christ,  he 
must  now  write  a  history  of  the  Church,  many  centuries  oE 
which  were  still  future.  To  begin  it,  he  must  go  back  and 
bring  up  what  is  })ast.  The  voice  said,  as  shown  in  verse 
19  (and  which,  for  convenience,  we  will  anticipate  at  this 
point),  "Write  the  things  which  thou  hast  seen  [the  pasf], 
and  the  things  which  arc  [now  transpiring],  and  the 
things  which  shall  he  hereafter."  Thus  the  vision  embraces 
something  of  the  past,  as  well  as  of  the  present  and  the 
future.  Therefore,  very  significantly,  the  voice  comes 
from  behind  John,  calling  him  to  look  backward.  Know- 
ing the  history  of  the  Church  from  Christ  to  his  time,  the 
symbols  representing  it  would  the  more  easily  interpret 
themselves  both  to  him  and  to  his  readers,  and  become 
samples  for  interpreting  those  of  the  present  and  future. 


56 


DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION. 


"As  of  a  trumpet." — A  trumpet  call  is  to  arouse 
all  within  the  sound  of  its  voice.  There 
A  Trumpet  Call  jg  nothing  sccrct,  to  be  kept  quiet,  or  to 
is  Anti-Secret,  j^g  suppressccl,  indicated  by  such  a  figure. 
Arid  let  it  be  particularly  observed,  that 
all  the  voices  in  this  book  are  of  this  character;  which  fact 
is  a  sharp  rebuke,  both  to  the  inattention  of  the  Church, 
and  to  any  indulged  suspicion  of  great  mystery  as  being 
connected  with  the  revelation. 


CHAPTER  III. 

BEGINNING  OF  THE  EEVELATION  PROPEE. 

John's  first  vision — the  seven  golden  candlesticks 

A  golden-girded  one,  like  unto  the 

son  of  man,  in  the  midst. 

Text,  Chapter  i.  11-13. 

11.  Saying,  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first  and  the  last: 
and,  What  thon  seest,  write  in  a  book,  and  send  it  unto  the  seven 
churches  which  are  in  Asia  ;  unto  Ephesus,  and  unto  Smyrna,  and 
unto  Pergamos,  and  unto  Thyatira,  and  unto  Sardis,  and  unto 
Philadelphia,  and  unto  L,aodicea. 

12.  And  I  turned  to  see  the  voice  that  spake  with  me.  And 
being  turned,  I  saw  seven  golden  candlesticks  ; 

13.  And  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  candlesticks  one  like  unto 
the  Son  of  man,  clothed  with  a  garment  down  to  the  foot,  and 
girt  about  the  breasts  with  a  golden  girdle." 

HERE  begins  the  revelation  proper.     The  symbols 
introduced  are  the  first  and  last  letters  of  the 
Greek  alphabet,  seven  of  the  local  churches  of 
Asia  Minor,  seven  golden  candlesticks,  and  a  glorious  per- 
sonation of  Jesus  in  the  midst. 

"Alpha  and  Omega." — This  figure  was  explained 
on  page  51,  and  there  was  applied  to  God.  Here  the 
speaker  is  as  plainly  Christ,  as  it  was  evident  before  that 
John  was  quoting  what  "the  Lord,"  the  "Almighty,"  said 
to  Isaiah.  For  as  God  the  Father  was  first  and  last  in  the 
purpose  and  work  of  creation,  and  in  the  purpose  of  re- 
demption, so  Immanuel,  God  with  us,  was  first  and  last 
in  the  ivork  of  redemption. 

"  What  thou  seest,  write  in  a  book." — John  is 


58  DIVINE    KEY    OF   THE    REVELATION.         [part  I. 

liere  commanded  to  write,  and  lie  is  also  '"in  the  Spirit;" 
so  that  this  prophecy  has  all  the  importance  and  authority 
that  former  i)rophecy  had,  which,  Peter  says,  "came  not  by 
the  will  of  man,  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit"  (3  Peter  i.  31). 

For  the  moment,  we  will  again  pass  over  the  seven 
mentioned  churches,  to   consider  John's 
The  Royal  f^pg^  ^^^  Toyal  vision,  as,  startled  by  the 

Vision.  "great  voice,  as  of  a  trumpet,"  and  look- 

ing backward  for  the  speaker,  he  saw  the 
seven  golden  candlesticks,  and  the  golden-girded  One, 
"like  unto  the  Son  of  Man,"  walking  in  the  midst  of  them. 
This  glorious  personage  cannot  be  mistaken  neither  from 
his  position  among  the  candlesticks,  nor  from  the  descrip- 
tion which  follows.  John  recognized  the  likeness  of  the 
Master:  it  clearly  symbolizes,  or  represents,  our  Lord.  But, 
without  taking  into  our  minds  Just  now  more  of  the  won- 
derful vision,  (the  details  of  which  can  be  considered  later,) 
let  us  try  to  understand  it  thus  far. 

We  have  now  seven  churches,  seven  golden  candle- 
sticks, seven  stars  and  seven  spirits  of  God,  brought  before 
us  as  before  John.  They  enter  into  the  revelation,  there- 
fore must  be  treated  as  symbols  according  to  our  rule.  Are 
they  anywhere  explained?  Partly.  In  the  twentieth  verse 
we  read: — 

"The  mystery  of  the  seven  stars  which  thou  sawest  in  my 
right  hand,  and  the  seven  golden  candlesticks  :  the  seven  stars  are 
the  angels  of  the  seven  churches  ;  and  the  seven  candlesticks 
which  thou  sawest  are  the  seven  churches." 

The  churches  and  the  candlesticks  then  are  identical. 

And  notice  how  easy  this  first  lesson  is: 

Easy  First  ^  caudlcstick  is  a  special  design  to  hold 

Lesson  in  ^^p  ^|^g  natural  light,  while  the  Church  is 

Symbols.  specially  designed  to  hold  forth  spiritual 

light.    "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.    A 


CHAP.  III.]         SEVEN    GOLDEN   CANDLESTICKS.  59 

city  that  is  set  on  a  hill  cannot  he  hid.  Neither  do  men 
light  a  candle,  and  put  it  nnder  a  hush  el,  hut  on  a  candle- 
stick, and  it  givetli  light  unto  all  that  are  in  the  house. 
Let  your  light  so  shine  hefore  men,  that  they  may  see  your 
good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  who  is  in  Heaven" 
(Matt.  V.  14,  16). 

The  stars  are  also  designed  to  give,  or  reflect,  light. 
These  are  "angels,''  messengers,  or  agents  of  light  to  the 
churches,  therefore  must  represent  their  teachers — their 
official  ministry.     (See  page  69.) 

"  Send  it  to  the  seven  churches  which  are  in 
Asia." — Our  next  duty  is  to  determine  what  is  signified 
hy  the  seven  Asian  churches,  for  they  are  symhols,  like  the 
candlesticks,  and  not  the  literal  Asiatic  congregations  of 
the  names  mentioned.  Many  writers  have  supposed  them 
to  be,  and  have  ransacked  history,  and  made  pilgrimages 
to  the  ruins  of  the  cities  of  those  names  in  Asia  Minor, 
where  they  were  severally  located,  to  ascertain  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  message  to  each.  But  no  such  labor  has 
proved  fruitful,  because  it  was  in  a  wrong,  a  literal,  and  not 
a  symbolic  direction.  For  if  the  Eevelation  of  Jesus  Christ 
to  "His  scri'ants" — all  His  servants — narrows  down  to  the 
geography  of  literal  Asia  Minor,  and  even  to  seven  of  her 
local  congregations  of  believers,  it  certainly  comes  very 
far  short  of  its  presumable  scope.  Surely,  if  we  were  not 
held  to  a  rule  of  symbolic  interpretation,  who  could  im- 
agine why  those  seven  congregations  should  be  singled  out 
for  so  great  a  manifestation  of  the  grace  of  God  through 
Christ,  and  not  extend  the  favor  to  all  the  churches  in  Asia 
Minor,  and  in  Asia,  as  well;  and  to  all  the  churches  every- 
where also,  which  the  Apostles  and  disciples  in  the  wide 
range  of  their  travels  "set  in  order?"  Why  leave  out 
Antioch,  Colosse,  Derbe,  Lystra  and  Iconium?  They  were 
in  Asia,  too,  and  no  doubt  needed  all  the  exhortations  to 


6o  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.  [part  I. 

repentance,  and  all  the  encouragements  for  overcoming 
that  their  seven  favored  sisters  did.  But  still  further  evi- 
dent is  it  that  we  must  seek  a  symbolic  exposition  of  the 
seven  messages  and  churches,  in  that  "grace,  mercy  and 
peace  is  multiplied  unto  them"  from  God,  from  Christ, 
"and  from  tJie  seven  Spirits  which  are  before  His  throne" 
(verse  4).  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons  in  dispensing 
grace;  and,  besides,  in  no  literal  sense  are  there  seven 
Spirits  of  God!  But  "there  is  one  body,  and  one  Spirit, 
even  as  ye  are  called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling;  one  Lord, 
one  faith,  one  baptism"  (B-ph.  iv.  4-6).  It  is  now  very  evi- 
dent to  all  that  there  must  be  the  same  symbolic  reference 
of  these  "seven  Spirits"  to  the  "one 
The  Seven  gj^irit"  of  God,  as  there  is  of  the  "seven 

cuurciies  are  churchcs"  to  the  "ouc  body."  Jesus 
Seven  Asea.  prayed  for  the  ttnity  of  the  body  as  re- 
gards any  literal  conception,  which  is  op- 
posed to  a  literal  septenary  or  any  other  division.  He  said 
to  them,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world."  So  He  is  here  seen  walking  in  the  midst  of 
these  seven  candlesticks.  But  the  promise  was  made  to  the 
Church  universal,  and  iji  no  special  way  can  belong  to  any 
special  congregations.  Therefore  the  golden  candlesticks 
and  seven  Asian  churches  must  symbolize  the  ivhole  Church 
of  Christ,  in  which  He  abides  from  age  to  age;  and  the 
seven  must  accordingly  represent  seven  ages  of  the  Church. 
For  so  far  as  loeality  is  concerned,  Jesus  can  be  no  more 
walking  with  the  candlesticks,  or  churches,  of  Asia  Minor, 
than  with  those  of  the  greater  Asia,  of  Europe,  of  Africa, 
and  of  America.  No  more  with  local  Ephesus,  Smyrna 
and  the  others,  than  with  the  Corinthian,  the  Galatian,  the 
Philippian,  the  Colossian,  the  Thessalonican,  and  the  thou- 
sand other  local  congregations. 


CHAP.  III.]  SEVEN    GOIvDEN    CANDLESTICKS.  6 1 

THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  SCRIPTURE  NAMES. 

A  ready  solution  of  the  whole  difficulty  is  found  in  the 
significance  of  the  names  selected.     All 
Third  Key  Biblc  uamcs  wd'C  clioscu  for  their  signi- 

to  These  fication:     Adam,    red    earth;    Eve,    life; 

Symbols.  Noah,  rcst;  Joh,  a  desert;  Moses,  drawn 

out;  Samuel,  heard  of  God;  Isaac,  laugh- 
ter; Solomon,  peaceable;  David,  beloved;  Daniel,  God's 
judge;  Immanuel,  God  with  us;  Lazarus,  God  will  help; 
Babylon,  confusion;  Jerusalem,  peace.  The  list  might  be 
greatly  extended.  AVhen  Jacob  wrestled  with  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  all  night,  his  name  was  changed  to  Israel;  that 
is,  A  Prince  of  God,  because  he  prevailed  with  God.  And 
that  name  has  ever  since  been  the  favorite  designation  of 
the  Church:  "Jacob  my  servant,  and  Israel  whom  I  have 
chosen."     "For  Jacob  my  servant's  sake. 

Names  Changed  ^j-^^l  7^,,^^/  j^y  elcct"— clcct  bcCaUSC  of  his 

With  Change      prevailing— (Isa.  xliv.  1;  xlv.  4).     "For 
of  Character,      ^^q  j^Qp^  ^f  j^yacl  am  I  bouud  with  this 

chain"  (Acts  xxviii.  20).  "All  Israel  [pre- 
vailers]  shall  be  saved"  (Eomans  xi.  25).  "Peace  be  upon 
the  Israel  of  God"  (Gal.  vi.  16).  And  when  God  made  a 
covenant  with  Abram  that  Christ  should  come  of  his 
seed,  He  immediately  changed  his  name  to  Abraham,  i.  c, 
"Father  of  a  great  multitude;"  and  his  wife's  name,  which 
was  Sarai,  to  "Sarah,"  i.  e.,  "Princess"  (Gen.  xvii.  5,  15). 
This  principle  of  signifying  by  names  follows  into  the 
Revelation,  and  explains  many  symbols. 

"Which  are  in  Asia." — Asia  means  a  morass — 
miry,  marshy  land,  difficult  to  pass  over.     It  is  a  striking 

symbol  of  the  Gospel  age  and  its  diffi- 
waik  by  Faith,  cultics.  Here  we  walk  by  faith,  not  by 
Not  by  sigrht.     sight.     The  perplexities  of  the  way  are 

many.    "For  now  we  see  through  a  glas§ 


62  DIVINE    KEY    OF   THE    REVEIvATlON.  [parT  I. 

darkly,  but  then  face  to  face"  (1  Cor.  xiii.  12).  x\nd  then 
the  passage  before  quoted  from  Zechariah  is  beautiful  here: 
"In  that  day  the  light  shall  not  be  clear  nor  dark;  but  it 
shall  1)6  one  day  which  shall  be  known  to  the  Lord,  not  day 
nor  night;  but  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  at  evening  time 
it  shall  be  light"  (chap.  xiv.  6-8). 

Now  from  all  this,  it  seems  clear  that  the  golden  can- 
dlesticks, with  the  Saviour  walking  in  the  midst  of  them, 
or,  as  the  symbolism  is  varied,  the  seven  churches  of  Asia 
with  the  seven  angels  and  the  seven  Spirits  of  God  minis- 
tering unto  them,  do  not  in  any  sense  relate  to  that  geo- 
graphical locality;  but  to  the  Church-at-large  chronologi- 
cally, in  a  septenary,  Asian  age.  An  age  Avherein  the 
Church  is  walking  by  the  twinkling  star-light  of  faith  over 
her  difficult  wilderness  way,  toward  the  Canaan  of  her 
eternal  rest.  Her  journey,  it  is  here  revealed  to  her,  is 
through  a  stretch  of  time,  divided  into  seven  lesser  ages, 
or  dispensations,  named  Ephesus  (desirable);  Smyrna  (bit- 
terness, persecution);  Pergamos  (elevation,  exaltation, 
pride);  Thyatira  (sweet  savor,  .sacrifice);  Sardis  (a  remnant, 
an  escaped  few);  Philadeli)hia  (brotherly  love);  Laodicea 
(judgment  of  the  people).  Tims  these  significant  names 
eacli  Ijeautifully  and  accurately  characterizes  its  age — mark 
this — in  all  its  general  or  more  prominent  features,  while 
the  detailed  characteristics  are  found  in  the  several  mes- 
sages. And  this,  on  contemplation,  will  be  seen  to  be  more 
than  wonderful— a  supernatural  coincidence — divinely 
forearranged,  that  the  names  of  those  seven  Asiatic 
churches  in  their  several  significations  should  accurately 
represent  the  prominent  characteristics  of  seven  subdivi- 
sions of  the  Gospel  age,  to  which  the  Spirit  of  God,  through 
seven  ministerial  agencies,  should  deliver  the  sevenfold, 
or  seven-sealed  revelation,  thus  giving  each  oncoming  age 
a  specific  message  of  "  present  truth."     All  this  will  be 


CHAP.  III.]  SEVEN    GOLDEN    CANDLESTICKS.  63 

brought  out  fully  when  wc  reach  the  seven  messages  and 
the  corresponding  seven  seals.  On  the  following  page  will 
be  found  a  diagram  illustrating  the  prophetico-historic 
order  and  characteristic  developments  of  these  seven  divi- 
sions of  Gospel  time.  If  the  reader  will  carefully  compare 
the  prophetic  requirements  with  the  historic  answerings, 
it  will  be  found  very  helpful,  and  suggestive  of  many  other- 
wise unseen  harmonies  with  the  parallel  symbols,  which 
will  more  or  less  readily  suggest  themselves,  according  to 
the  reader's  familiarity  with  the  book. 

SIGNIFICANT    FIGURES    IN    NUMBERS. 

Seven  and  twelve,  composed  of  three  and  four,  either 
as  parts  or  factors,  are  symbols  of  perfec- 
Three,  the  ^j^j-^  qj.  completeness.   (Three  and  four  are 

Heavenly,  and  geveii;  but  three  times  four  are  twelve.) 
Four,  the  Three    is   always   the   Heavenly   number, 

Earthly  ^^j^j^g  fo^^j.  jg  ^j^g  earthly.     There  are  in 

Number,  Hcaven    three    divine    intelligencies — the 

Father,  the  Son  and  the  angels.  There 
are  in  the  firmament  three  great  lights — the  sun,  the 
moon  and  the  stars.  There  are  in  the  earth  three  Heavenly 
witnesses,  the  Spirit,  the  water  and  the  blood,  which 
agree  in  one  (1  John  v.  8).  There  are  in  the  divine 
plan  of  salvation  three  developing  periods — the  patriarchal, 
the  Mosaic  and  the  Christian,  as  seen  in  the  three  meas- 
ures of  meal  (Matt.  xiii.  33),  and  the  three  stages  in  the 
growth  of  corn  (Mark  iv.  28).  There  were  three  entrances 
for  the  high  priest  between  the  four  pillars  which  sup- 
ported the  veil  of  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  Heavenly  court 
of  the  tabernacle;  while  there  were  four  entrances  for  the 
common  priests  between  the  five  pillars  which  supported 
the  veil  of  the  holy  place,  or  earthly  court,  of  the  taber- 
nacle.   There  are  three  gates  on  each  side  of  the  Heavenly 


64  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.         [part  1. 

city;  but  there  are  four  earthly  sides  to  the  city.  Altars 
of  sacrifice  or  incense  were  four  square,  and  each  had  four 
horns.  In  nature's  analysis,  there  are  four  elements — 
earth,  air,  fire  and  water.  There  are  four  seasons  and  four 
winds,  or  points  of  compass.  Four  natural  divisions  of  the 
Word  of  God — history,  prophecy,  doctrine  and  the  practi- 
cal things.  Four  witnesses  wrote  the  history  of  Jesus' 
earthly  life.  Four  metals  and  four  beasts  represent  the 
great  world-empires.  And  four  living  creatures  and  four 
horses  are  found  in  the  seven-sealed  book. 

There  were  tzvclve  patriarchs  and  tivclvc  tribes  of 
God's  typical  nation;  and  there  were  tzvelvc  Apostles  in  the 
antitypical  dispensation.  When  Levi  lost  his  numerical 
standing  among  the  tribes,  the  number  tzvclve  was  made 
good  by  the  division  of  Joseph's  tribe  into  two,  Ephraim 
and  Manassali.  And  when  Judas  fell  from  the  Apostle- 
ship,  another  was  chosen  to  maintain  the  number  of  tzvclve 
Apostles.  There  are  tzvclve  gates  to  tlie  city  of  God,  and 
tzvclve  foundations  to  its  walls.  And  the  tree  of  life  bears 
tzvclve  manner  of  fruits,  as  it  ripens  tzvclve  times  in  the 
year. 

There  arc  seven  serjes  of  sevens  in  the  Book  of  Keve- 
lation:    (1)    seven  Spirits  of  God  minister 

Seven    Series         ^^^^    ggj-^^;^    ^3^    SCVCU    meSSagCS    to    (3)    the 

of  Sevens.  SCVCU  ?igQ^  of  the  Cliurcli;  (4)  seven  seals 

are  opened,  as  seven  thunders  utter  their 
voices;  (5)  seven  trumpets  are  sounded  as  seven  historic 
views  are  delineated;  (G)  seven  heads  the  beast  had,  and 
(7)  seven  plagues  were  poured  out  upon  them.  These  con- 
siderations strengthen  the  view  of  a  symbolic  revelation; 
and  the  parallelisms  found  all  along  these  seven  series,  as 
we  proceed  with  them,  will  greatly  strengthen  the  view  of 
the  entirety  of  the  symbolization, 


TRISEPTENARO-CHRONOLOGICAL  DIAGRAM. 

The  Three  Great  Serial  Prophecies  of  the  Revelation  Harmonized,  Giving  Three  Bird  s-Eye  Views  of  the  Entire  Gospel  Age. 

/.    THE  SEVEN   ASIAN  CHURCHES— '^GOLDEN  CANDLESTICKS."- 

[Asia.  "A  Morass."  Miry,  Marshy  Land— The  Antitypicul  U'i/i/eniess  Journey  In  Canaan.] 


1 


EPHESUS.    SMYRNA. 


AUGUSTUS- 


NERO  -  DIOCLE. 


PERGAMOS.!  .>-  THYATIRA. 


6 


PHILADELPHIA 


CONSTANTINE- 


S7t7£-CHt]HCH  SVPREmcr—PAPiH  PFffsfQurm      ffflWr  PiBSHurmH  CHECXElf^     7H£-K£rofD*m:- 

Justinian  ahd  seven  tifiPEgiAi^fniBEST^oNs."   iholy  alliance 


1^29~ 


f*.*,'? 


7 
LAODlca 


THe-HOUROF  TRIAL- 


'IRON -"CLAY" 

J     .   57  ye««  +  — 


SAITH    UNTO   THE    CHURCHES^^^^ 


II.   THE    SEVEN    SYMBOLIC    SEALS-Rev.v..vi..vn..vm.i.ix. 

The  Voices  of  the  LJying  Creatares.  and  of  the  AlLir,  Uke_thander^_said^^OME  AND  SEE^ 


UTtHE   seven   SYMB0LI0TRUM^^f^l-'''^;'l;^ ;'•  ''■"■ 

SOTH. 


V        f^'fST        .  oJto  S£CO/tD. 

jSdSMLNTSUP  on  ISRAEL. 


'  BLOOO. 
Third    part    el 
Titu,  and  all  $fH« 


(  BU/miNQ  UOUNTIIIN 
^tt into  th, Sou:  OntWf 
iort    of    tilt  Sta    btcair 


BREAT  VOICES  P 
Tbe  FOUR  ASCELS.  bound  ^n  the  EVPHRA-  \  ^^^  ^^Jg^,  ^oRi 


3j«     THIRD.     .  „,5:7_fDtw7ff^  a_b.«^^^^^:u:::l_:::^-. — >— 

lAarmSlTTHEJHnECH'ICHM-^-- ™.^ 

»,    «,», ,      „,  ,„  sum.  j^ocvsTS  ro™«.  nEf  .  m w  pa«  «f  MEN.  "y  ''•"■  "'    '  ■     «.'j^  ••: 

_  Third  part. 


CHAP.  Ill]  THE    GOLDEN-GIRDED   ONE.  65 

THE  SON   OF   MAN   IN   THE   MIDST   OF  THE   CANDLESTICKS. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  we  must  hriefiy  consider 
the  glorious  personage  seen  Avalking  in  the  midst  of  the 
seven  golden  candlesticks: — 

Text,  Chapter  i.  14-18. 

"His  head  and  hairs,  white  like  wool,  as  white  as  snow  ;  and 
His  eyes  as  a  flame  of  fire  ;  and  His  feet  like  unto  fine  brass,  as  if 
they  burned  in  a  furnace  ;  and  His  voice  as  the  sotmd  of  many 
waters.  And  He  had  in  His  right  hand  seven  stars  ;  and  out  of 
His  mouth  went  a  sharp,  two-edged  sword  ;  and  His  countenance 
as  the  sun  shining  in  his  strength.  And  when  I  saw  Him,  I  fell 
at  His  feet  as  dead.  And  He  laid  His  right  hand  upon  me,  saying 
unto  me,  Fear  not;  I  am  the  first  and  the  last;  He  that  liveth, 
and  was  dead ;  and,  behold  I  am  alive  for  evermore,  Amen  ;  and 
have  the  keys  of  hades  and  of  death." 

The  thirteenth  verse,  which  has  already  heen  con- 
sidered in  part,  says  that  He  was  girded 
sisiiiticatio.1       ^yi^i-^  u^  golden  girdle."     All  the  angels 
*•'  *^*'  seen   in   this   vision,   and   those   also    de- 

Goiden  Girdle,  gcrihed  in  Daniers,  were  thus  girded  he- 
cause  they  were  messengers  of  great 
truths.  Jesus  said  He  zvas  the  truth.  The  girdle  repre- 
sents strength,  and  the  gold  truth.  How  do  we  get  this 
explanation  from  the  Spirit?  Said  David,  speaking  of 
Christ,  "Thou  hast  girded  me  with  strength"  (Psa.  xviii. 
39).  This  is  the  purpose  of  the  laborer  in  girding  him- 
self. Wrote  Paul,  "Having  your  loins  girded  about  with 
truth''  (Eph.  vi.  14).  And  Peter,  "Gird  up  the  loins  of 
your  wind''  (1  Epis.  i.  13).  That  is,  strengthen  yourself 
mentally  with  truth.  The  whiteness  of 
Kxiiinnation  of  jjjg  j^^jj.  represents  the  purity  of  His  char- 
symboiic  Fire,  ^^q^q^  The  fire  of  His  eyes  represents 
righteous  judgment.  Malachi  wrote  of 
Him,  "He  is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  fuller's  soap;  and 
He  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifwr  of  silver;  and  He  shall 


66  DIVINE    KEY    OF   THE    REVELATION.         [part     . 

purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge  them  as  gold  and  silver, 
that  they  may  offer  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in  righteous- 
ness" (chap.  iii.  2,  3).  '"By  the  spirit  of  judgment,  and  hy 
the  spirit  of  burning''  (Isa.  iv.  4).  "I  am  come  to  send  Urc 
on  the  earth;  and  what  will  I,  if  it  he  already  kindled?" 
(Luke  xii.  49).  "The  Father  judgeth  no  man,  hut  hath 
committed  all  Judgment  unto  the  Son"  (John  v.  22). 
These  passages  show  that  the  burning  light  of  the  eyes  in 
the  symbol  mean  righteous  judgment  in  the  office  work  of 
Jesus;  and  explain  at  the  same  time  the  symbol  of  His 
feet  "burning  as  in  a  funuice,"  to  represent  His  coming  in 
executive  Judgment,  "//u  voice,  as  the  sound  of  many 
ivafcrsj"  indicates  the  universality  of  His  message — the 
preaching  of  His  Gospel  in  all  languages  (cliap.  xvii.  15). 
For  Jesus  is  not  using  His  own  voice,  but  the  voices  of  a 
million  zealous  preachers  of  all  tongues,  to  make  known  the 
Gospel  throughout  the  world.  The  "sharp  tzvo-edged 
szvord  out  of  His  mouth''  will  be  interpreted  easily  as  "the 
W(u-d  of  God"  (Heb.  iv.  12).  ''His  countenance,  as  the  sun 
shilling  in  His  strength/'  identifies  Him  as  "the  Light  of 
the  World,"  the  "Sun  of  Eighteousness"  (Mal.iv.  2);  as  "the 
Day-Spring  from  on  high"  (Luke  i.  78).  The  keys  of  hades 
[the  grave]  and  of  death  represent  His  power  to  raise  the 

dead.  The  key  is  the  symbol  of  power  to 
Meaiiins-  unlock:     "Key  of  knowledge"  (Luke  xi. 

of  Key  as  a  52);  "key  of  the  house  of  David"  (Isa.  xxii. 
Symbol.  22;  chap.  iii.  7);  "key  of  the  bottomless 

pit"  (chap.  ix.  1);  "keys  of  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven"  (]\fatt..  xvi.  19).  Jesus,  having  conquered 
death  and  the  grave,  has  the  key  of  power  over  them  for- 
ever for  Flis  people.  (John  xvii.  2,  3;  xi.  23-26;  x.  27,  28; 
vi.  27,  39,  40,  44,  45,  53,  54;  iii.  36.) 

Let  all  that  have  breath  praise  Him!  and  adore  the 
matchless  Presence  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks. 


PART  SECOND. 


THE  SEVEN  SYMBOLIC  CHURCHES. 

SEVEN  DISPENSATIONS  OF  THE  CHURCH,  EXTENDING 
FROM  ADVENT  TO  ADVENT. 

"  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  Churches." 

CHAPTER  IV. 

I.  THE  EPHESIAN  OR  APOSTOLIC    PERIOD— A. D.  30  TO 

A.D.  64. 

CHAPTER  V. 

II.  THE  SMYRNIOT  OR  I^ERONIAN   PERIOD— AD.  64  TO 

A.D.  313. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

III.  THE   PERGAMENE  OR  CONSTANTINIAN    PERIOD  — 

A.D.  313  TO  A.D.  529. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

IV.  THE  THYATIRIAN  OR  JUSTINIAN  PERIOD— A.D.  629 

TO  A.D.  1529. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
CONTINUATION    OF    THE    THYATIRI\N   OR    JUSTINIAN 
PERIOD. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

V.  THE  SARDIAN  OR  LUTHERAN  PERIOD— A.D.  1529  TO 

A.D.  1789. 

CHAPTER  X. 

VI.  THE   PHILADELPHIAN  OR  RENAISSANCE  PERIOD— 

A.D.  1789  TO  A.D.  1840. 

CHAPTER  XL 

VII.  THE  LAODICEAN  OR  JUDGMENT  PERIOD— A.D.  1840 

TO  THE  END. 


PART  SECOND. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

I.  THE  EPHESIAN  OR  APOSTOLIC  PERIOD— 
A.  D.  30  TO  A.  D.  64. 

Tc.vf,  Chapter  ii.  1-7. 
I.  Unto  the  angel   of  the  church  of  Ephesus  write  ;   These 
things  saith  He  that  holdeth  the  seven  stars  in 
The  Message  His  right  hand,  who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the 

*"  **»*  seven  golden  candlesticks  ; 

Angel  of  Cphesus.  2.  I  know  thy  works,  and  thy  labor,    and 

thy  patience,  and  how  thou  canst  not  bear  them 
who  are  evil :  and  thou  hast  tried  them  who  say  they  are  Apostles, 
and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars  ; 

3.  And  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for  My  name's 
sake  hast  labored,  and  hast  not  fainted. 

4.  Nevertheless  I  have  somewhat  against  thee,  because  thou 
hast  left  thy  first  love. 

5.  Remember,  therefore,  from  whence  thou  art  fallen,  and 
repent,  and  do  the  first  works  ;  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee 
quickl}',  and  will  remove  thy  candlestick  out  of  his  place,  except 
thou  repent. 

6.  But  this  thou  hast,  that  thou  hatest  the  deeds  of  the  Nic- 
olaitans,  which  I  also  hate. 

7.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  sai'h 
unto  the  churches  ;  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of 
the  tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God. 

EPHESUS. — The  meaning  of  this  word  is  desirable. 
It  descrihes  the  age  which  brought  to  the  world 
"The  Desire  of  all  ISTations"  (Hag.  ii.  7);  and  also 
the  Holy  Spirit's  work  as  never  before  nor  since  seen  (Acts 
ii.  2-4;  Heb.  i.  1,  2;  ii.  1-4).     It  is  the  Apostolic  age,  and 

68 


CHAP.  IV.]  TO   THK  CHURCH    IN   EPHESUS.  69 

desirable  also  because  taught  by  men  who  were  themselves 
taught  directly  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
It  is  the  first  age  in  the  diagram.  And  these  ages,  or 
"churches/'  it  should  be  noticed,  are  always  mentioned  in 
the  order  there  given.  That  Ephesus  is  the  Apostolic 
Church  or  age  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  false  Apostles 
appeared  in  none  of  the  others.  And  in  no  other  but  the 
true  one  could  impostors  set  forth  such  a  claim  without 
immediate  detection,  as  the  age  of  the  person  would  show 
him  to  be  of  a  later  period. 

"Unto  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Ephesus 
write." — The  term  angel  has  already  been  defined  as  any 

agency  which  God  uses  to  accomplish  His 
Angel  purposes.    But  we  shall  meet  it  often,  and 

Defined.  ^yg  ^yj]j  cousider  the  proofs  at  this  point, 

and  settle  the  matter  at  once,  and  for  the 
remainder  of  our  investigation.  In  Luke  vii.  19,  2-4, 
John's  disciples  are  termed  "angels,"  in  the  Greek  {aiigge- 
lon),  but  in  English  the  term  is  rendered  "messengers." 
In  the  27th  verse,  anggelos  is  applied  to  the  Baptist.  The 
quotation  is  from  Malachi  iii.  1,  where  the  Hebrew  term  is 
malok,  messenger.  These  are  the  terms  that  are  applied 
to  the  celestial  beings,  and  rendered  by  the  English  term 
angel,  in  both  Testaments.  Angel  is  not  a  proper  name, 
but  is  simply  the  name  of  an  office,  like  the  term  president 
or  secretary.  Any  one  may  occupy  these  offices.  The 
names  of  the  celestial  angels  are  Gabriel,  Michael,  etc.;  of 
some  of  the  terrestial  angels,  the  disciples  of  John,  John 
himself,  Jesus'  disciples  (Luke  ix.  52),  Paul  (Gal.  iv.  14), 
Joshua's  spies  (Jas.  ii.  25),  the  high  priest  (Mai.  ii.  7), 
Haggai  (Hag.  i.  13),  and  many  human  agencies  through- 
out the  Bible.  The  angels  of  this  revelation  are  all  human 
agencies,  except  the  one  who  delivered  the  Revelation  to 
John,  and  before  whom  John  fell  down  to  worship  (chap. 


7C  DIVINE    KEY    OF    THE    REVELATION.        [parT  II. 

i.  1;  xxii.  8,  9,  16),  as  indicated  on  page  32.     Carefully 
note  this  fact  for  future  help. 

"Hast  left  thy  first  love."— The  first  love  of  the 

Apostles  and  the  Church  of  their  period 
Great  Zeal  of  ^yr^g  great.  They  had  heen  with  Jesus  be- 
Fir.st  Love.         f^j-Q  rj^j  r^f^er  His  resurrcctiou,  and  knew 

the  base  falsehood  of  the  Jewish  claim 
that  He  was  an  impostor,  and  still  dead!  and  they  them- 
selves were  implicated,  if  it  was  an  imposture  that  Jesus 
rose.  Therefore,  in  their  great  zeal  for  what  they  knew 
to  be  a  glorious,  living  truth,  they  sold  their  possessions 
and  had  all  things  conmion.  "And  they,  continuing  daily 
with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  from 
house  to  house,  did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness  and  single- 
ness of  heart,  praising  God,  and  having  favor  with  all  the 
people.  And  the  Lord  added  to  the  church  daily  such  as 
should  be  saved."  (Acts  ii.  46,  47.)  But  as  scorn,  and 
hatred,  and  persecution  developed,  and  weariness  from 
constant  labor,  their  zeal  and  ardor  cooled,  and  they  al- 
lowed their  exertions  to  flag.  Repentance  and  first  works 
are  required  of  them. 

"Else  I  will  come  upon  thee  quickly,  and  will 
remove  thy  candlestick  out  of  his  place,  except 
thou  repent." — Now  if  this  message  had  been  addressed 
in  any  sense  to  the  literal  Church  at  Ephesus,  it  was  a 
singular  divine  threat — to  literally  remove  the  Ephesian 
church!  Had  God  adopted  the  Roman  custom  of  banish- 
ment? Would  they  do  better,  or  be  suitably  chastised,  by 
removal,  as  a  Church,  over  the  mountain,  across  the  river, 
or  sea,  into  some  other  city  or  land?  Who  can  suppose 
that  that  is  the  nature  and  substance  of  the  address?  But, 
on  the  contrary,  if  addressed  symbolically  to  an  age,  how 
natural  that  the  thought  of  being  set  aside  as  unworthy 
teachers  and  ambassadors  of  the  cross  they  claimed   to 


CHAP  IV.]       THE   DATTe;  — iNT:gRNAL   EVIDEKCE.  yf 

glory  in;  as  flickering  lights  in  the  great  Gospel  illumina- 
tion, to  which  they  had  contrihnted  so  much,  would  tend 
to  arouse  again  all  their  remaining  energies,  and  again  in- 
spire their  "first  works."  When  tlie  Jewish  nation  refused 
to  walk  in  and  rofleet  tlie  light  of  God,  they  were  removed 
out  of  their  place  as  teachers.  The  kingdom  was  taken 
from  them  and  given  to  another  nation,  "^o  man,  having 
put  his  hand  to  the  plow,  and  looking  back,'''  said  Jesus, 
"is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God."  God  has  always  been  re- 
moving candlesticks  whenever  one  fails  to  hold  up  the  true 
light.  We  shall  soon  see  how  He  removed  the  smoking 
old  Roman  lamp  and  raised  up  the  Reformers.  And  He 
will  in  like  manner  remove  us,  those  Reformers'  children, 
if  we  are  recreant  to  our  trust. 

THE  DATE  AGAIN INTERNAL  EVIDENCE. 

The  threat  was  to  shorten  the  Ephesian  period  and 
introduce  another.   The  fact  that  Ephesus 
Time  for  jg  required   to   repent,   and   do   her   first 

itepentnnoe,  works,  sliows  that  tliis  letter  Avas  sent  to 
a.  Clue  to  ]^pj.  goiiiig  time  before  her  removal.     And 

the  Date.  \\evQ  the  qucstiou  of  the  date  is  met  again. 

For  the  command  is  as  positive  to  send  a 
message  to  Ephesus,  the  Apostolic  age,  late  enough  for  her 
to  have  lost  her  first  love,  yet  early  enough  for  repentance 
— as  it  was  to  send  one  to  Smyrna  or  any  of  the  rest;  and 
demands  that  out  of  the  conflicting  historic  testimony  we 
find  a  date  that  is  early  enough  to  permit  the  Ephesian 
repentance,  since  it  is  utterly  out  of  reason  to  suppose  a 
divine  message  of  severe  censure  was  sent  too  late  to  be  of 
any  service  to  the  parties  in  question.  Dr.  Jackson's 
"choice"  of  dates — a.  d.  H^  or  a.  d.  96  (page  39)  are  both 
too  late,  though  being  chosen  as  prior  and  subsequent  to 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  which  has  no  determinative 


72  DIVINE    KEY    OF   THE    REVELATION.       [parT  II. 

relationship  whatever  to  the  question.  The  burning  of 
the  city  of  Rome — a.  d.  64 — has  such  a  rehxtionsliip,  since 
the  Emperor  Nero  "threw  the  blame  on  the  Christians, 
whom  he  persecuted  with  relentless  fur3^"  (Students' 
Encyc.)  Thus  in  a.  d.  64:  began  the  series  of  ten  perse- 
cutions which  characterize  the  Smyrniot  or  bitter  age; 
fixes  the  dividing  line  between  Ephesus  and  Smyrna,  and 
at  the  same  time  proves  an  earlier  date  necessary  for  any 

message  to  Ephesus.  A.  D.  5-f  or  55,  the 
True  Date.  ^];^|^^,  J  ]^^yQ  gj^.g^-^   (pagcs  3i-40),  there- 

A.  D.  54  or  53.  f^^j.g  allows  twcuty  ycars  to  the  Ephesians 

for  the  loss  of  first  love,  and  nine  or  ten 
years  afterward  for  repentance.  The  Encyclopaedia  Bri- 
tannica  strikes  the  first  intelligent  Scriptural  position  which 
I  have  met  for  deciding  the  date  in  the  whole  investigation 
— in  these  words:  "Finally,  almost  every  one  regards  the 
year  a.  d  (U  as  the  tenniniis  a  quo  of  the  composition  of  the 
book,  inasmuch  as  the  bloody  persecution  of  the  Chris- 
tians in  Home  (xiii.  7;  xvii.  6;  xviii.  20-24)  is  presupposed 
in  the  narrative."  [In  loco. — The  passages  here  cited,  how- 
ever, are  totally  irrelevant,  since  they  each  relate  to  the 
pahal  persecutions  of  the  middle  ages.  The  right  refer- 
ences are  chapters  ii.  10;  vi.  4,  which  relate  to  the  pagan 
persecutions  of  the  first  eentury.)  The  book  of  Eevela- 
tion  has  been  so  generally  misunderstood,  that  the  major- 
ity of  writers  have  failed  entirely  to  discover  what  the  true 

internal  evidence  and  requirements  are. 
Dr.  pattou's  ]  )j.  William  Fatten,  who  prepared  the 
"^'*«'^^'  notes  to  the  Cottage  Testament,  contends 

iiiuNtrates  f,,^  ^\^q  \.^Iq  <jate,  and,  as  the  rest  of  his 

the  comiiw.n  elass,  that  "all  antiquity"  authorizes  it; 
Misconception,    ^vhich  authority  "is  supported,"  he  says, 

"by  strong  internal  evidence,  for  this  book 
deseriljes  the  seven  Asiatic  churches  as  not  only  existing, 


CHAP   IV.]  TO   THE  CHURCH    IN   EPHESUS.  73 

but  as  having  flourished,  and  some  of  tliem,  subsequently 
decayed,  which  couki  not  have  been  the  case  at  a  much 
earlier  date."  (!)  This  complete  misconception,  with  the 
others  before  mentioned,  are  undoul)tedly  the  origin  and 
end  of  the  late  date  theory.  If  John  had  been  addressing 
those  literal  churches,  there  would  have  been  plausilulity 
in  the  view.  But  we  have  seen  that  the  churches  to  which 
the  late  <late  writers  refer  are  not  the  same  as  those  to 
which  the  Eevelation  is  really  addressed — in  the  midst  of 
which  the  Son  of  JNIan  was  walking — but  only  the  symbols 
of  them  through  the  sigiiificatioii  of  their  ncuncs,  and  not 
through  similarity  or  correspondence  of  history.  Thus  it 
is  clear  that  the  true  "internal  evidence"  supports  the  early 
date  traditions,  and  not  the  late.  But  we  return  to  the 
details  of  the  message. 

"The  deeds  of  the  Nicolaitans." — Tradition  fur- 
nishes an  account  of- a  '•supposed"  sect  of  this  name  in  the 
first  century  who  openly  taught  the  practice  of  adultery 
and  the  eating  of  idol  sacrifices.  But  there  is  no  reliability 
in  the  sujipositious  of  those  who  were  so  deceived  in  the 
character  of  the  writing  as  to  be  only  anxious  to  find  literal 
fulfillments  of  the  messages.  If  we  follow  our  divinely 
announced  rule,  we  will  find  the  true  sig- 
Rising-  Spirit  nificatiou  without  supposition.  Nicola- 
of  Popery.  itaiis    couics    from    two    Greek    words — 

"'iiikao,  to  conquer,"  and  "laos,  people" — 
conquerors  of  the  people.  Jamieson,  Fausset  and  Brown 
say,  "Mr.  Chaelis'  view  is  probable:  Nicolaos- (conqueror  of 
the  people)  is  the  "Greek  version  of  Balaam,  from  Hebrezu 
Belang  Am,  destroyer  of  the  people.  Eevelation  abounds 
in  such  duplicate  Hebrew  and  Greek  names:  as  Apollyon, 
Al)addon;  Devil,  Satan;  yea  (Greek,  Nai),  Amen.  The 
name,  like  other  names,  Egypt,  Babylon,  Sodom,  is  sym- 
bolic."    (Comm.  ///  h)eo.)     There  is  no  such  tiling  known 


74  DIVINE    KKY    OF   THE    REVELATION.        [part  11. 

in  the  Gospel  kingdom  as  carnal  or  physical  conquest;  that 
desire  is  sensual,  earthly.  While  Jesus  was  yet  with  His 
disciples,  they  sometimes  contended  for  masteries,  "who 
should  be  the  greatest  in  the  kingxlom  of  Heaven"  (for  He 
was  declaring  very  positively  that  it  was  "at  hand'" — Mark 
ix.  34;  Luke  xxii.  24-30,  etc.).  But  this  spirit  Jesus  re- 
buked, saying  that  the  principles  of  His  kingdom  de- 
manded submission  and  service,  even  of  its  highest  officers 
as  of  Himself,  their  Lord;  and,  unlike  human  kingdoms, 
disallowed  lordships,  official  dignities  and  ostentation. 
Still  that  spirit  lived  and  lurked  in  the  hearts  of  men. 
Paid,  even  in  his  day,  said  that  "the  mystery  of  iniquity 
doth  already  work;  only  he  who  now  hindereth  will  hinder, 
until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way"  (of  its  advancement — 
2  Thes.  ii.  7).  The  Apostles  saw  in  this  ambitious,  Nico- 
laitan  spirit,  the  incipient  Abomination  of  Desolation  that 
the  Prophet  Daniel  had  said  (chap.  vii.  25;  viii.  23-25; 
xi.  31)  should  war  upon  and  conquer  the 
^**  people  of  the  saints  of  the  most  High  in 

Nicoiaitanism     ^j^g  ^^^^  ^f  ^j^g  gj,gj^|.  Rgman  bcast.    Paul 

'"  *''*^  denounces  this  spirit  in  others,  and  dis- 

Apostie«i.  claimsut  in  liimself.     "Not  for  that  we 

have  dominion  over  your  faith,"  said  he, 
"but  are  helpers  of  your  Joy;  for  by  faith  ye  stand"  (2 
Cor.  i.  24).  "Who  then  is  Paul,  and  who  is  Apollos,  but 
ministers  by  whom  ye  believed,  even  as  the  Lord  gave  to 
every  man?  (2  Cor.  iii.  5).  Paul,  the  great  Apostle,  only 
a  fellow  minister,  having  no  dominion  over  faith  in  others! 
There  was  little  of  papal  succession  then  through  him. 
How  about  Nicolaitanism  in  Peter?  "The  elders  therefore 
who  are  among  you  I  exhort"  (only  exhort),  he  said,  "who 
am  (Greek)  a  fellow-elder:  *  *  feed  the  flock  of  God 
which  is  among  you,  taking  the  oversight  thereof,  not  l^y 
constraint,  but  willingly;  not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready 


CHAP.  IV.J  TO   THK   CHURCH    IN   EPHESUS.  75 

mind;  neither  as  being  lords  over  the  heritage,  but  being 
ensamples  to  the  flock"  (1  Peter  v.  1-3).  How  much  of  the 
conquering  or  papal  spirit  was  found  in  either  Paul  or 
Peter  is  apparent  here  at  a  glance.  Apostolic  Ephesus 
hated  the  desire  to  subordinate  individual  faith  to  human 
notions  and  formulas,  or  anything  but  the  pure  Word  of 
God,  according  to  the  language  of  the  Hol)^  Spirit.  And 
God  also  hated  it,  He  said,  and  still  hates  Nicolaitanism 
in  prince,  or  priest,  or  pope.  For  "faith  cometh  by  [in- 
telligent] hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  Word  of  God"  (Ro- 
mans X.  17),  not  through  human  wisdom,  nor  creed,  nor 
confession;  albeit  men,  in  a  subordinate  way,  if  conversant 
with  and  loyal  to  the  Word,  and  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
may  be  valuable  assistant  teachers,  and  God  has  always 
used  tliom  as  such.  But  we  shall  soon  see  how  Nicolaitan- 
ism  grew  in  the  woi-ld. 

"  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the 
Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches." — It  is  what  the 
Spirit  saith  niito  the  churches,  let  it  be  noticed,  and  not 
of  or  about  them;  and  this  confirms  what  was  said  in  con- 
nection with  the  question  of  the  date  of  writing  the  Eeve- 
lation,  that  it  must  be  early  enough  to  make  each  message 
serviceable  to  the  church  addressed.  The  later  dates  allow 
the  Ephesian  ]:)eriod  to  pass  away  without  their  ever  hav- 
ing heard  of  the  Revelation,  and  cannot  be  right.  Seven 
times  is  this  commandment  reiterated  in  connection  with 
these  messages,  i.  e.,  in  chapters  ii  and  iii.  "If  ye  love  Me 
keep  My  commandments,"  said  the  Lord  Jesus,  while  with 
men.  Is  it  less  a  duty,  or  less  pleasing  to  Him,  now  He  is 
in  power  in  Heaven?  May  He,  through  the  Holy  Spirit, 
inspire  love  and  loyalty  in  every  reader  of  these  pages,  and 
in  all  His  professed  people  the  world  over,  for  this  revela- 
tion and  to  these  commandments. 

"  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of 


76  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.         part  ir. 

the  tree  of  life." — This  symbol  is  drawn  from  the 
original  tree  of  life  in  Eden.  Before  their  sin,  our  first 
parents  had  free  access  to  it;  hut  afterward  they  were 
driven  from  it,  and  a  flaming  sword  guarded  it,  lest  man 

should  now,  a  sinner,  eat  of  it  "and  live 
Christ  tiie  forever."'    This  right  to  eat  of  living  food 

Tree  of  Life,      -^^jjg  j^ever  restored  in  the  same  form,  hut 

came  with  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God — the 
only  begotten,  as  Adam  was  the  only  created.  He,  the 
second  Adam,  became  the  life  of  the  world — the  ''bread 
of  life,"  the  "water  of  life,"  the  "light  of  life,"  the  "way 
of  life,"  and  the  "resurrection  and  the  life."  (John  iv.  10- 
14;  vi.  27-54;  viii.  1?;  xi.  35,  2G;  Luke  xx.  35,  3G.) 

"Which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  Paradise  of 
God." — Jesus,  the  true  "tree  of  life,"  is  "in  the  midst" 
of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks — the  Church  of  the  living 

God.  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the  days,  till 
parudise.  |]^e  pj^j  pf  ^Jie  age"  (Matt,  xxviii.  20— 

Emph.  Diag.).  Therefore  paradise  is  a 
syndjol  here  of  the  Church  or  kingdom  of  God.  But  if  this 
is  not  quite  clear  to  any,  we  may  reason  from  another 
standpoint:  the  "Churqh  in  the  wilderness"  (Acts  vii.  38) 
is  identical  with  the  "kingdom"  as  established  on  Mount 
Sinai  (Ex.  xix.  5,  6).  And  this  kingdom  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  also  symbolized  by  the  "garden  of  Eden"  and  the 
"garden  of  God,"  as  Assyria  is  by  the  forest  of  Lebanon. 
The  i)rinces  of  Israel  were  "trees''  in  the  garden,  as  the 
King  of  Assyria  was  a  ''cedar  in  Lebanon."  The  princes 
of  Israel  had  ])een  envious  of  that  great  king,  and  he  in 
tiuie  liad  l)oth  desecrated  and  desolated  the  Lord's  garden. 
Like  the  King  of  Tyrus,  he  bad  l)een  upon  the  "holy 
mountain" — Zion,  typical  of  Israel;  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
"stones  of  fire;"  and  these  twelve  precious  stones  (of  the 
high  i)riests'  breast-plate)  had  been  liis  "covering,"  which 


CHAP.  IV.]  TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  EPHESUS. 


77 


signified  his  intrusion  into  that  system  of  typically  illus- 
trated truths  which  Israel  represented,  corrupting  them. 
This  point  cannot  be  followed  further  here,  but  if  the 
reader  will  compare,  thoughtfully,  Ezekiel  xxviii.  1-14; 
with  xxxi.  3-12,  it  will  be  seen  from  the  use  of  those  sym- 
bols there  how  Jesus,  the  true  "King  of  Israel,"  is  here 
called  the  "tree  of  life,  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise 
[garden,  kingdom.  Church]  of  God."  Said  He  to  His  fol- 
lowers, "He  that  eateth  Me,  even  He  shall  live  by  Me" 
(Jo]]n  vi.  57),  using  nearly  the  same  symbol.  Nothing 
could  more  beautifully  illustrate  the  important  relation- 
ship that  the  Lord  Jesus  holds  to  the  future  and  eternal 
well-being  of  every  son  and  daughter  of  mankind,  than  is 
shown  by  these  symbols.  May  every  reader  thus  partake  of 
this  spiritual  food  from  the  "tree  of  life,"  and  "never 
hunoer." 


fyS^^"^-^ 


CHAPTER  V. 

II.  THE  SMYRNIOT  OR  NERONIAN  PERIOD— 
A.  D.  64  TO  A.  D.  313. 

Text,  Cliai3ter  ii.  8-11. 

8.  And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Smyrna  write  ;  These 
things  saith  the  first  and  the  last,  who  was  dead, 

The  Message  and  is  alive  ; 

to  tiie  9-  I  know  thy  works,  and  tribulation,  and 

Angel  of  Smyrna,  poverty  (but  thou  art  rich),  and  /  ^fiota  the 
blasphemy  of  them  who  say  they  are  Jews,  and 

are  not,  but  are  the  synagogue  of  Satan. 

10.  Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt  suffer :  be- 
hold, the  devil  shall  cast  sofuc  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may  be 
tried  ;  and  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ten  days  :  be  thou  faithful  unto 
death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life. 

11.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith 
unto  the  churches  ;  He  that  overcometh  shall  not  be  hurt  of  the 
second  death. 

SMYRNA  conies  fr^m  myrrh,  a  bitter  guni;,  and  signi- 
fies bitterness,  trial,  persecution.     The  second  era 
of  the  Church  opened  and  closed  with  bitter  perse- 
cntion.     The  encouragement  given  to  this  Chnrch  is  that 
the  message  of  life  is  from  one — 

"Who  was  dead  and  is  alive" — "for  evermore," 
the  former  statement  (chap.  i.  18)  added. 

"  Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt 
suffer;  *  *  *  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death."—/,  e., 
be  faithful  unto  the  very  article  of  death,  as  a  martyr  for 
truth,  and  for  Him  who  was  a  martyr  for  you,  "and  I 
will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life."  Jesus  is  now  '■'■croumed 
with  glory  and  honor"  in  Heaven;  i.  e.,  rewarded  with  the 

78 


CHAP,  v.]  TO   THE    CHURCH    IN   SMYRNA.  79 

highest  position  of  glory  and  honor  in  the  gift  of  Heaven. 
And  this  crozvn  of  life  which  He  promises  here  is  the  high- 
est reward  of  life:  it  is  eternal  life. 

"Tribulation  and  poverty." — Meaning  affliction 
and  trial,  and  helplessness  in  this  life;  hut — 

"Thou  art  rich." — Rich  "in  faith,"  and  in  the 
hope  of  the  future  life.  "Heirs  of  the  kingdom  which  He 
hath  promised  to  them  that  love  Him"'  (Jas.  ii.  5). 

"  Blasphemy  of  them  who  say  they  are  Jews, 
and  are  not." — The  Jews,  in  a  literal  sense  before  Christ, 
were  the  chosen  people  of  God.  And,  therefore,  in  a  fig- 
urative sense,  to  say  one  is  a  Jew  is  to  claim  to  be  the  true 
people  of  God.  In  this  case,  it  was  a  false  claim.  Those 
who  troTjbled  Smyrna  were  not  Christians  (the  true  repre- 
sentative name  in  this  Gospel  age),  but  were 

"The  synagogue  of  Satan." — Temple  or  syna- 
gogue, literally,  a  place  of  worship,  in  a  figure  stands  for 
the  worsliipers  themselves:  as,  "Ye  are  the  temple  of  God; 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you;'"  and  "ye  are  God's 
building^'  (1  Cor.  iv.  9,  16).  But  these  false  pretenders 
were  the  people  of  the  Lord's  adversary  (for  that  is  the 
meaning  of  the  term  "satan"),  a  false,  opposing  people, 
seeking  to  cover  their  iniquity  by  assuming  a  good  name, 
which  was  blasphemy. 

"  The  devil  shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison." 
— The  devil  (Greek,  "diaholos,  accuser,  calumniator")  is 
the  equivalent  of  the  Hebrew  term  satan.  The  great  ac- 
cuser and  adversary  of  the  Church  in  the  second  period 
was  not  an  evil  spirit,  but  the  pagan  element  in  the  em- 
pire; for  we  know  it  was  their  pagan  accusers  that  cast  the 
Church  into  prison.  "In  G4,  a.  d.,  occurred  the  great  con- 
flagration in  Rome — a  disaster  due,  according  to  Dion  and 
Suetonius,  toXero  himself.  The  emperor  threw  the  blame 
on  the  Christians,  whom  he   persecuted  with  relentless 


8o  DIVINE    KEY   OF    THE    REVEIvATlON.       [parT  ii. 

fury."  {Students^  Cyclo.)  This  accusation  from  the  enemy 
of  righteousness  fired  the  heart  of  the  whole  pagan  world 
against  the  supposed  incendiaries  of  the  proud  capital  of 
the  Eonian  Empire,  as  those  innocent  victims  of  the  em- 
peror's hatred  were  now  already  scattered  throughout  his 
vast  dominions. 

"  That  ye  may  be  tried." — "  That  the  /rial  of  your 
faith,*'  said  Peter,  "being  much  more  precious  than  of 
gold,  which  perisheth,  though  it  be  tried  with  fire,  might 
be  found  unto  jjraise  and  honor  and  glory  at  the  appearing 
[not  of  death,  but]  of  Jesus  Christ"  (1  Epis.  i.  7).  Quo- 
tations from  the  prophets,  before  made,  show  that  this  was 
to  be  Jesus'  method  of  purifying  and  perfecting  the 
Church — Himself  having  been  "made  perfect  through  suf- 
fering." 

"And  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ten  days." — 
This  prediction  evidently  had  its  fulfillment  in  the  "ten 
persecutions"  which  originated  and  were  legalized  in  the 
ten  edicts  issued  in  the  succession  of  Emperors  from  Nero 
to  Diocletian.  The  days  being  so  fczv,  they  seem  (as  in 
the  case  of  the  "one  hour,"  and  "half  an 
'^'**^  hour,"  which  we  will  meet  further  on)  to 

Great  Pagan       ]jg   exceptions   to   the   year-day   rule    (see 
Persecutions.      pj^gg  |Q]^^  ^^^^^  simply  to  represent  com- 
paratively short  periods  of  time,  as  were 
those  persecutions.    A  writer  says: — 

"The  ten  persecutions,  commonly  regarded  as  general,  are  the 
following:  Under  Nero,  64  A.D. ;  under  Domitian,  95  a.d.;  under 
Trajan,  107  A. D.;  under  Hadrian,  125  a.d.;  under  Marcus  Aurelius, 
165  A.D.;  under  Septimus  Severus,  202  a.d  ;  under  Maximinus, 
235  a.d. ;  under  Decius,  249  a.d.;  under  Valerianus,  257  a.d.;  un- 
der Diocletian,  303  a.d." — Interna.  Cyclo. 

Some  think  that  the  ten  days  should  conform  to  the 
rule  of  the  longer  periods  of  days — "a  day  for  a  year" — 
which  rule  will  be  considered  when  we  reach  the  longer 


CHAP,  v.]      TO  THE  CHURCH  IN  SMYRNA.  8 1 

periods.     In  tliat  case  it  is  a  fact  that  ten  years  are  spe- 
cially mentioned  by  historians  during  this  Smyrniot  era. 

Thus:— 

"  The  tenth  [persecution]  began  in  the  nineteenth  j'ear  of 
Diocletian,  A.D.  303.  In  this  dreadful  persecution  which  lasted 
ten  years,  houses  filled  with  Christians  were  set  on  fire,  and  whole 
droves  of  them  were  tied  together  with  ropes  and  thrown  into  the 
sea.  It  is  related  that  17,000  were  slain  in  one  month's  time  ;  and 
that  during  the  continuance  of  this  persecution,  in  the  province 
of  Egypt  alone,  no  less  than  144,000  Christians  died  bj-  the  violence 
of  their  persecutors  ;  besides  700,000  that  died  through  the  fatigues 
of  banishment  or  the  public  works  to  which  the}^  were  condemned. ' ' 
— Buck's  Theol.  Diet. 

"In  A.D.  303,  Diocletian  stained  his  name  by  authorizing  the 
last  and  fiercest  of  the  ten  great  persecutions  inflicted  on  the 
Christians  by  the  Roman  emperors.  See  3Iason's  Persecution  of 
Dioclelian. ' ' — Student's  Encyc. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  during  the  Smyi-niot  age 
not  less  than  3,000,000  Christians  were 
Three  Miiiiou     destroyed  to  satisfy  the  furious  rage  of 
Martyrs.  paganism  against  Christ  and  His  truth. 

Most  clearly,  then,  the  "ten  days"  of  this 
message  had  its  fulfillment,  either  in  the  ten  seasons,  or  the 
tin  years.  The  writer  in  inclined  to  regard  them  as  an 
exception  to  the  rule,  on  account  of  the  small  number,  as 
before  stated,  and  as  referring  to  ten  brief  seasons.  "He 
that  hath  an  ear,"  now  repeats  the  Lord,  as  He  had  said 
to  Ephesus,  "let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the 
churches."  Oh,  that  the  Church  would  listen  to  her  Lord. 
"  He  that  overcometh  shall  not  be  hurt  of  the 
second  death." — The  term  "second  death"  occurs  no- 
where else  in  the  Scriptures  but  in  the 
Second  Deatb  Eevelation;  therefore  we  must  understand 
Found  Only  jj-  ^s  a  symbol,  and  not  literal.  For  four 
In  Symbol.  thousand  years  no  inspired  writer  had  ever 

broached  the  idea  to  men  of  a  second  dy- 
ing, or  more  than  one  literal  death  for  sin.  The  Book  of 
llevelation  was  given  four  centuries  after  man  was  given  a 


82  DIVINE   KEY    OF   THE   REVEIvATlON.         part  II. 

law,  not  as  a  new  revelation  of  final  rewards  and  punish- 
ments (which  were  righteously  revealed  in  the  outset),  but 
of  "things  which  must  shortly  come  to  pass;"  and  the 
reader  will  not  discover  any  departure  from  this  rule.  For 
it  could  not  be  that  the  whole  penalty  for  sin  was  not  stated 
by  God  in  the  giving  of  His  law  in  Eden.  He  threatened 
one  death  only  as  a  penalty;  therefore  this  late  second  death 
in  this  symbolic  book  must  be  a  symbol,  and  not  literal. 
Accordingly,  "second  death"  is  found  in  Revelation  four 
times:  here  (ch.  ii.  11);  xx.  6,  14;  and  xxi.  8.  The  last 
two  places  affirm  that  the  (symbolic)  "lake  of  fire"  is  the 
"second  death."  This  death  is  spoken  of  in  apposition  (1) 
Avitli  the  "crown  of  life;"  (2)  with  the  "first  resurrection;" 
(3)  with  the  "book  of  life;"  and  (4)  with  the  "water  of 
life,"  all  which  symbols  relate  to  final  rezvard.  As  a  corol- 
lary truth,  then,  this  opposite  figure,  second  death,  sym- 
bolises some  final  penalty.  The  term  is  found  in  the  old 
Jewish  targums,  and  Professor  Hudson  quotes  this  Jewish 
definition:    "From  which  no  man  can  come  to  life  again." 

(Debt  and  Grace,  p.  178.)  It  cannot  mean 
Second  Deatu  g^  sccoud  dying,  literally,  since  none  that 
Not  a  Second  ^^grc  cast  iuto  the  "lake  of  fire"  for  the 
Penalty.  "sccoud  death,"  namely,  the  "beast,"  the 

"false  prophet,"  the  "dragon,"  etc.,  were 
ever  in  the  lake  of  iire,  or  died  as  a  penalty,  before.  The 
"man  of  sin,"Jezebel,  and  the  adulterous  kings  of  the  earth 
— all  spiritually  dead — had  had  many  preliminary  judg- 
ments, as  we  will  find,  during  their  long  space  to  repent: 
this  is  their  final  judgment  penalty.*    A  second  death  im- 

*  We  shall  show,  when  we  reach  the  symbol  of  the  "  lake  of  fire,"  that  it  rep- 
resents a  condition  in  a  great  fire  of  the  Word  of  God,  kindled  in  the  "  time  of  the 
end,"  for  the  destruction  of  the  above  mentioned  systems  of  deception  and  of 
corrupting  the  Word.  (See  Isa.  xxx.  27,  28 ;  Jcr.  v.  14  ;  xxiii.  28,  29 ;  Hos.  vi.  5 : 
Rev  xi.  5;  xvi.  8,  9.)  The  symbol  is  based,  as  is  nearly  always  the  case,  on  a 
literal  Scriptural  precedent,  namely,  the  lake  of  water  which  destroyed  the  old 
world,  and  the  lake  of  fire  which  the  Apostle  Peter  (2  Epistle,  chapter  iii.)  says 
shall  destroy  the  world  that  now  is. 


CHAP,  v.]  TO  THE   CHURCH   IN  SMYRNA.  83 

plies  a  first  death;  and  accordingly  there  are  two  deaths 
recognized  in  the  doctrinal  Scriptures  which  have  that 
order:  first,  death  in  sin;  second^  death  for  sin:  sin  or 
trespass  death — a  figure;  and  death  the  penalty  for  sin, 
which  is  literal.  Said  Paul:  "You  hath  He  quickened  who 
were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins;  *  *  *  even  when  we 
were  dead  in  sins,  hath  He  quickened  us  together  with 
Christ,  *  *  *  and  hath  raised  us  up  together,  and  made 
us  sit  together  in  Heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus"  (Eph. 
ii.  1-6).  Here  is  seen  the  first  resurrection  as  from  the 
first  death — ^both  always  symbolic.  Let 
Trespass  and  ^^jg  f^ct  be  noted.  Adam  first  died  fig- 
Penai  Deaths,  upatively — in  sin,  then  penally  and  liter- 
ally— for  that  sin.  The  first  death  is  tres- 
pass death,  and  the  second  is  penal  death.  In  this  sense 
only  can  the  "lake  of  fire"  be  a  "second"  death — it  is  a 
symbolic  penalty  inflicted,  temporarily  and  typically,  for 
first  or  trespass  death — sin. 

Those  who  "overcome"  have  their  sins  pardoned; 
hence  they  will  not  reap  sin's  final  penalty,  or  "be  hurt  of 
tbe  second  death."  They  are,  as  overcomers,  dead  to  sin, 
and  alive  unto  God.  Their  "life  is  hid  with  Christ  in 
God;"  and  when  Christ,  who  is  their  hope  of  life,  "shall 
appear,"  then  will  they  "also  appear  with  Him  in  glory" 
(Col.  iii.  1-3).  How?  By  the  resurrection — unhurt  of  the 
second  or  penal  death,  because  made  victors  over  it.  "The 
sting  of  death  is  sin;  and  the  strength  of  sin  [or  power  to 
hold]  is  the  law"  (1  Cor.  xv.  56);  but  the  "victory"  is 
gained  now,  and  the  sting  is  withdrawn.  The  law  is 
answered  and  ended  in  Christ;  and  because  He  rose,  un- 
harmed by  death,  so  shall  His  people  rise  unhurt. 

The  importance  of  this  exposition  will  be  better  seen 
when  we  reach  chapter  xx.  6. 


CHAPTER  YI. 

III.  THE  PERGAMENE  OR  CONSTANTINIAN 

PERIOD— A.  D.  313  TO  A.  D.  529. 

Text,  Chapter  ii.  12-17. 

12.  And    to    the  angel   of  the  church    in    Pergamos    write; 
These  things  saith  He  who  hath  the  sharp  sword 
The  Message  with  two  edges  ; 

to  the  Angel  13.  I   know   thy   works,    and    where  thou 

of  Pergamos.  dwellest,  even  where  Satan's  seat  is:  and  thou 

holdest  fast  My  name,  and  hast  not  denied  My 
faith,  even  in  those  days  wherein  Antipas  was  My  faithful  martyr, 
who  was  slain  among  you,  where  Satan  dwelleth. 

14.  But  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee,  because  thou  hast 
there  them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,  who  taught  Balak  to 
cast  a  stumbling  block  before  the  children  of  Israel,  to  eat  things 
sacrificed  unto  idols,  and  to  commit  fornication. 

15.  So  hast  thou  also  them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  the  Nic- 
olaitans,  which  thing  I  hate. 

16.  Repent ;  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  qiiickly,  and  will 
fight  against  them  with  |:he  sword  of  My  mouth. 

17.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith 
unto  the  churches  ;  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of 
the  hidden  manna,  and  will  give  him  a  white  stone,  and  in  the 
stone  a  new  name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth  saving  he  that 
receiveth  it. 

PERGAMOS,  or  Pergamiim  (Revision),  means  "height, 
elevation,^'  iand  therefore  signifies,  in  this  connec- 
tion, high-mindedness,  pride  or  worldliness.     This 
is  the  natal  age  of  Churchianity. 

**  The  sharp  sword  with  two  edges." — It  is  He 
out  of  whose  mouth  came  the  sharp,  two-edged  sword,  who 
addresses  Pergamos.    In  addressing  Ephesus  He  held  the 

84 


CHAP.  VI.]         TO  THE  CHURCH   IN   PERGAMOS.  85 

"seven  stars"  in  His  right  hand,  and  was  walking  in  the 
midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks.  She  was  encouraged  bj' 
this  with  special  protection  from  Jewish  and  all  subse- 
quent hatred  which  seemed  ready  to  swallow  up  the  infant 
Church;  and  thus  were  all  sister  churches  to  be  encour- 
aged. Their  Lord,  invested  with  almighty  power,  would 
always  be  "in  the  midst"  of  them.  In  addressing  Smyrna, 
the  martyr  age,  it  is  "He  who  was  dead  and  is  alive  for 
evermore,"  comforting  her  overcomers  with  the  promise 
and  hope  of  a  like  revival.  Thus  we  shall  find  that  in  each 
message  He  assumes  a  character,  or  attitude,  just  adapted 
to  show  Himself  to  be  the  necessary  help  of  that  Church 
in  her  chief  est  need,  as  detailed  in  her  message,  just  as  the 
significance  of  the  names  He  gave  them  indicated  the 

chiefest  characteristics  of  each.  Here  in 
The  Church  Pergoinos  the  sharp  sword  with  two  edges 
Is  charg^ed  suggcsts    scrious    departure    from    truth, 

with  Apostatiy.  apostasy,  deserving  the  free  use  of  the 

Word  of  God,  even  to  "piercing  to  the 
dividing  asunder"  of  the  lustful  Balaamitical  teachers, 
and  the  hateful  Nicolaitan  subjugators  who  were  dictating 
their  false  "doctrines"  and  manners,  and  forcing  them 
upon  the  heritage  of  God. 

"  Thou  dwellest  where  Satan's  seat  is." — Liter- 
ally, where  the  adversary's  throne  is.  The  true  place  for  the 
Church  to  rest  is  in  the  throne  with  Christ,  not  acting  the 
adulterous  paramour  of  a  pagan  king,  his  adversary.  Did 
not  Jesus  say  while  personally  with  her,  "I  appoint  unto 
you  a  kingdom,  as  My  Father  hath  appointed  unto  Me;  that 
ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  My  table,  in  My  kingdom,  and  sit 
on  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel?"  And  the 
Apostle  Peter,  "Ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priest- 
hood, a  holy  nation."  And  Paul,  "Ye  have  reigned  as 
kings"  i.  e.,  in  a  Biblical  sense;  not  fought  carnally,  nor 


86  DIVINE   KEY   OE   'ThE   REVELAYION.         PART  II. 

tyrannized,  as  kings  of  the  earth  do,  but  reigned  Jointly  with 
Christ.  But  in  the  Pergamene  period  the  spouse  of  Christ 
is  found  in  quite  a  ditTerent  throne.  The  message  to  her 
is  a  clear  outline  of  the  Constantinian  era.  The  Smyrniot 
period  closed  with  the  great  pagan  perse- 
Tiie  Noted  cutiou,    and    the    Pergamene     age    was 

Kdictof  Miinn,  ^^ghercd  in  by  the  noted  edict  of  Con- 
A.  D.  313.  stantine  the  Great,  a.  d.  313.    That  mon- 

arch saw  that  the  dreadful  persecutions 
of  his  predecessors  had  not  so  much  depleted  the  Church, 
as  it  had  strengthened  the  still  multiplying  followers  of 
Christ.  He  discovered  the  world's  historic  wonder,  that 
"the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  Church."  And 
he  resolved,  as  a  mere  matter  of  statecraft,  to  change  sides. 
He  accordingly  issued  (in  conjunction  with  Licinius,  who 
was  then  associated  with  him  in  the  empire)  the  celebrated 
Edict  of  Milan,  "which  restored  peace  to  the  Christian 
Church  *  *  *  and  was  received  as  a  general  and  fun- 
damental law  of  the  Eoman  world."    Gibbon  continues: — 

"The  wisdom  of  the  emperors  provided  restitution  of  all  the 
civil  and  religious  rights  of  which  the  Christians  had  been  so  un- 
justly deprived.  It  was  enacted  that  the  places  of  worship  and 
public  lands,  which  had  b*een  confiscated,  should  be  restored  to  the 
Church,  without  dispute,  without  delay,  and  without  expense.  *  *  * 
The  two  emperors  proclaim  to  the  world  that  they  have  granted  a 
free  and  absolute  power  to  the  Christians,  and  to  all  others,  of  fol- 
lowing the  religion  which  each  thinks  proper  to  prefer." — Decline 
and  Fall,  etc..  Vol.  II.,  p.  198. 

Constantine  claimed  to  have  been  converted  to  the 
Christian  cause  through  a  vision,  which  exhibited  to  him 
a  cross  in  the  Heavens,  with  the  legend,  "Conquer  by 
THIS."  He  therefore  placed  a  cross  upon  the  Eoman 
standard  which  led  his  armies  in  carnal  warfare.  The  fol- 
lowing historical  picture  of  the  results  tallies  well  with 
the  charges  of  the  message: — 

"In  the  davs  of  Constantine,  the  Christian  religion  had  pene- 


CHAP.  VI.]         TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  PERGAMOS.  87 

trated  almost  every  part  of  the  empire,  No  sooner,  therefore,  did 
that  prince  declare  in  favor  of  it,  than  it  became  the  religion  of  the 
court,  of  the  capital  and  soon  of  the  empire 
Great  "Worldly  itself.  This  was  truly  an  amazing  change,  and 
Exaltation.  forms  one  of  the  most  memorable  eras  in  ec- 

clesiastical history.  *  *  *  From  this  period 
the  Christian  Church  was  loaded  with  honor,  wealth  and  power  ; 
nor  did  her  virtue  ever  sustain  a  severer  trial.  The  chief  digni- 
taries of  the  empire  could  scarcely  do  less  than  imitate  their 
master  ;  and  Christianity  soon  became  a  necessary  qualification  for 
public  office. 

"  The  Church  now  no  longer  appeared  in  her  ancient  simpli- 
city and  purity  ;  lords  and  princes  were  among  her  converts,  and 
she  was  dressed  hi  Yobes  of  stale.  Her  ceremonies  were  increased  ; 
her  forms  of  worship  were  loaded  with  pomp  and  splendor  ;  her 
doctrines  were  intermingled  with  the  senseless  jargon  of  a  philos- 
ophy equally  absurd  and  vain  ;  and  the  way  seemed  prepared,  not 
only  for  the  decay  of  Christian  doctrine  and  moralitj',  but  of  everv 
science  which  distinguishes  civilized  from  savage  nations." — 
Whelpley's  Compend  of  Hist.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  222. 

Surely  the  Church  was  in  the  throne  with  the  adver- 
sary, when  Christianity,  i.  c,  its  profession,  became  a  nec- 
cessary  qualification  for  public  office  in  the  Roman  Empire. 
It  was  the  throne  of  the  very  "^'devir' — "^adversary"  or 
"accuser"' — that  we  have  sliown  cast  so  many  saints  of  the 
Smyrniot  period  into  prison  and  into  death.  It  was  a 
dizzy  and  dangerous  "height'"  for  the  mistaken  spouse  of 
Christ.  She  rushed  from  persecution  no  greater  than  the 
man  of  Nazareth  suffered  for  her,  to  win  her,  and  wliich 
would  have  kept  her  humble  and  faithful,  to  national  pet- 
ting, position  and  power,  which  only  stimulated  her  pride, 
her  vanity  and  her  lust,  till  the  sacrifices  of  idols  and  for- 
nication even  were  written  among  her  sins.  And  yet  she 
held  fast  the  name  of  her  Lord,  and  would 
Faithful  jjQj-  j,j  zvords  deny  the  faith,  even  in  those 

Antipas.  (jgyg  ■^};^en  faithful  "•'Antipas"  was  mar- 

tyred among  them,  'Svhere,"  said  Jesus, 
"the  adversary  dwells."     (Emph.  Diag.)     Antipas,  here, 


88  DIVINE  XKY   OF   THE   REVEI.ATION.         PART  II. 

like  the  other  symhols,  should  be  understood  as  a  represen- 
tative character,  and  not  as  an  individual.  The  name  is 
thought  to  be  derived  from  the  words  anti,  opposed,  and 
papas,  pope,  father.  There  was  always  a  remnant  of  strong 
faith,  which  opposed  any  departure  from  the  Word  of  God, 
even  in  the  worst  times  of  apostasy.  Always  a  Job  and  a 
Jeremiah  for  persecution,  the  prison  and  the  dungeon 
to  cut  ofE  their  opposing  testimonies;  always  a  Joseph, 
"whose  feet  they  hurt  with  fetters,"  a  Daniel  for  the  den 
of  lions,  and  a  Shadrack,  Meshach  and  Abed-nego  for  the 
furnace  of  fire.  So  there  were  ''Antipas,"  or  anti-papal, 
martyrs  in  those  high-minded  Pergamene  times.  The 
Apostle  Paul  had  pointed  out  the  incipient  "mystery  of 
iniquity"  working  even  in  the  early  Ephesian  day.  "Only 
he  who  now  hindereth,"  said  he,  "will  hinder  until  he 
be  taken  out  of  the  way"  (2  Thes.  ii.  7).  Paganism  was 
the  great  "dragon"  that  hindered  the  rise  of  the  papacy,  as 
it  had  before  hindered,  with  all  its  power,  the  rise  of  the 
true  Church.  It  must  be  "taken  out  of  the  way,"  for  the 
papacy  must  rise.  It  will  be  "cast  out,"  and  'T)ound,"  and 
shut  up  in  the  pit,  as  the  sequel  will  show,  when  we  reach 
chapters  xii  and  xx.  The  papal  "mystery  of  iniquity"  rose 
in  the  Church;  and  "Antipas,"  was  its  inside  foe  and  mar- 
tyr, while  paganism  was  its  outside  foe,  to  be  also  con- 
quered and  put  "out  of  the  way." 

"The  doctrine  of  Baalam." — (See  the  history  of 
Balaamism,  Num.  xxii.,  xxiii.,  xxiv.)  Balaam  was  called 
a  prophet,  but  he  was  more  pious  in  word  than  in  deed. 

He  would  not  for  any  consideration,  in 
Baiaamiticai  words  nor  by  outward  act,  go  against  the 
**»«*y-  commandment  or  pleasure  of  the  Lord — 

so  he  thought  or  reasoned.  But,  though 
outwardly  he  appeared  so  devout,  his  actions  showed  that 
he  "loved  the  wages  of  unrighteousness,"  and  was  self- 


CHAP.  VI.]         TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  PERGAMOS.  Bg 

deceived.  He  went  anxiously  enough  with  the  Elders  of 
Moab  and  Midian  to  curse  Israel — who  were  to  God  "as 
the  apple  of  His  eye" — when  the  Lord  at  his  first  request 
had  said,  "Thou  shalt  not  go  zvith  them."  And  when  they 
offered  him  greater  rewards  or  gold  and  honor,  he  angered 
the  Lord  by  pleading  with  Him,  as  if  to  change  His  mind 
or  purpose  toward  Israel,  and  went  with  those  heathen 
princes,  and  burnt  sacrifices  with  them,  to  the  shame  of 
all  Israel. 

"To  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols." — Thus 
Balaam  taught  Israel,  by  example,  which  is  more  powerful 
than  precept,  to  mingle  with  the  heathen,  and  eat  of  their 
idol  sacrifices  (Num.  xxv.  1-3).  The  Gospel  commands 
separation  from  sinners;  but  high-minded,  false-hearted 
Pergamenians,  after  the  "doctrine"  or  practice  of  Balaam, 
allowed  their  desires  to  drown  their  consciences,  and  their 
actions  to  commend  what  their  professions  condemned. 
They  had  escaped  the  Smyrniot  adversary  of  persecution, 
only  to  meet  the  Pergamenian  adversary  of  enticement. 

What  is  it  to  eat  symbolically?  The  Scriptures  must 
answer.  Said  Jesus,  "Man  shall  not  live  by 
Symbolic  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  pro- 

Eating,  ceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God"  (Matt, 

iv.  4).  I.  e.,  he  must  by  study  digest  in 
the  mind,  and  by  faith  assimilate  into  the  spiritual  life  the 
principles  of  truth  and  righteousness  as  taught  in  all  the 
Word  of  God.  "Take  the  (little  book)  and  eat  it  up,"  said 
the  angel  to  John  (chap.  x.  9),  and  he  obeyed;  and  thus 
also  Ezekiel  ate  his  roll  (chap.  iii.).  In  this,  John  and  Eze- 
kiel,  as  representative  prophets,  were  giving  the  Church  ob- 
ject-lessons in  the  necessity  of  really  receiving  into  the 
inner  life  the  divine  principles  enunciated  in  the  "little 
book"  and  in  the  "roll."  The  great  truths  concerning  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  were  taught  objectively  by  the  law  of 


90  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVEI.ATION.         part  II. 

sacrifices  on  Jewish  altars.  The  priests  ate  the  sacrifices, 
both  of  burnt  offerings  and  sin  offerings  (Num.  viii.  8-10), 
as  the  Christian  now  cats  the  body  of  Christ,  our  burnt 
offering  and  sin  offering,  in  the  emblems  of  the  Lord's 
table.  All  this  is  beautifully  symbolic  of  the  imperative 
necessity  of  assimilating  our  lives  to  the  life  of  the  Son 
of  God.  We  eat  natural  food  to  live;  and  we  eat  spiritual 
food  to  live  again.  But  the  sacrifices  of  idols,  or  false  gods, 
represent  not  the  truth  nor  any  divine  principles,  but  false- 
hood and  error;  and  to  eat  of  them  is,  not  to  have  the  Spirit 
of  truth  nor  walk  in  the  light,  but  to  have  the  spirit  of 
error  and  walk  in  darkness.  It  is  error  and  falsehood, 
therefore,  that  the  Pergamenian  church,  from  her  exalted 
position  in  the  Eonian  Empire,  is  charged  with  receiving 
from  off  pagan  altars  as  "sacrificed  imto  idols."  Constan- 
tine,  the  ostensible  and  doubtless  sincere  friend  of  the 
Church — yet  from  the  "adversary's  throne,"  let  it  be  re- 
membered— removed  persecution,  restored  that  peace* 
whicli  the  world  giveth,  and  the  estates  which  former  (and 
pronounced)  adversaries  had  confiscated,  and  built  fine 
temples  for  essayed  worship;  but  at  the  same  time,  with- 
out the  knowledge  of  Crod,  but  with  the  rashness  of  Uzzah, 

"who  put  forth  his  hand  to  the  ark  of 
The  First  (t^^j  ^ud  took  hold  of  it,"  he  assembled 

stumbling-  ^}^g  Council  of  Nice  (a.  d.  325)  and  for- 

stone.  mulatcd    a    creed — the    Church    without 

wisdom  or  wariness  consenting.  Creeds 
are  words  of  men,  and  not  the  AYord  of  God — much  less 
"every  word  which  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God," 
by  which  the  Church  should  live.  They  are  but  formula- 
tions of  truth  and  error — mostly  error,  and  "senseless  jar- 
gon," as  said  Whelpley.  They  have  never  given  one  heart 
a  thrill  of  Joy  or  comfort,  nor  the  Church  one  moment  of 
peace;  but  have  filled  the  whole  world  with  woe.    If  the 


CHAP.  VI.]         TO   THE  CHURCH  IN  PERGAMOS.  91 

first  had  been  the  last,  it  would  have  been  well  for  us,  and 
for  the  glory  of  God;  and  the  "dark  ages"  would  have  been 
ages  of  light. 

"And  to  commit  fornication." — Jesus  is  the  true 
Bridegroom  and  Husband  of  the  Church.  He  is  her  only- 
legal  helper  aside  from  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  is  of  His 
appointment.  But  the  Church  was  eased  with  her  release 
from  persecution,  pleased  with  the  gifts 
Spiritual  ^j^^j  favors  of  the  great  emperor  and  the 

Adultery.  unaccustomcd     applause     of    lords     and 

princess  now;  she  forgot  her  separation 
from  the  world  and  her  union  with  Christ;  she  accepted 
the  coveted  human  help,  united  with  the  State,  and  thus 
committed  spiritual  "fornication." 

"Hold  the  doctrine  of  the  Nicolaitans,  which 
thing  I  hate." — No  sooner  had  the  Church  officially  re- 
ceived the  creed — humanly  formulated — in  place  of  the 
whole  pure  Word  of  God — divinely  given — than  the  Nico- 
laitan  "conquerors"  began  to  force  their  pago-Christian 
dogmas  upon  the  "people."  The  Word  of  God  was  given 
to  men  in  a  way  to  demand  personal  attention,  study  and 
meditation,  from  old  and  young,  ignorant  and  learned 
alike.  (See  Psa.  i.  2;  cxix.  9-16,  34,  41,  42;  48,  89,  92, 
97-100.)  The  creed  was  devised  to  rid  the  Church  of  Just 
that  exercise.  And  kings  and  priests  united  under  "the 
doctrine  of  the  Nicolaitans"  to  force  the  living  Word,  the 
source  of  faith,  out  of  the  hands  and  hearts  of  the  people, 
and  the  creed,  a  lifeless  "symbol  of  faith,"  into  its  place. 
The  Lord  said,  "He  that  hclievcth  not  [the  Word — gra- 
ciously testified]  shall  be  condemned."  The  Nicolaitans 
said,  "He  that  receiveth  not  the  creed — unquestioned — 
shall  be  condemned."  But  God  hates  this  assumption, 
and  every  Christian  should  hate  all  and  any  intervention 
of  man — priest  or  prince — between  his  fellow  and  God. 


gi  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVEIvATlON.         PART  II. 

"Repent!  *  *  *  sword  of  my  mouth."— 
Repentance  is  commanded;  and  if  obedience  is  not  yielded, 
fighting  them  with  the  sword  of  His  month  will  be  quickly- 
instituted.  This  shows  the  serious  errors  of  the  Church  of 
this  period.  Who  can  doubt  or  deny  it?  And  who  can 
state  the  errors  better  than  they  are  stated  in  the  creed — the 
words  of  the  errorists  themselves?  Then  comes  the  sig- 
nificant challenge  again — who  will  heed  it? — "He  that  hath 
an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  THE  SPIEIT  saith  unto  the 
churches" — not  what  the  creeds  say. 

"  Give  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna." — "To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna." 
This  is  a  promise  that  if  they  will  cease  to  eat  the  pro- 
hibited food  from  idol  altars — cease  to  believe  or  receive 
the  false  teachings  of  their  day,  though  it  may  cost  a  great 
effort  thus  to  "overcome,"  He  will  give  them  the  proper 
food  for  their  spiritual  health — the  "hidden  manna." 
Literally,  manna  was  the  "angels'  food,"  the  "corn  of 
Heaven"  (Psa.  Ixxviii.  34,  25),  which  sustained  the  lives  of 
Israel  during  the  years  of  their  wilderness  journey.  It  was 
a  type  of  Christ,  who  is  the  "true  bread  from  Heaven." 
A  golden  pot  was  filled  with  this  manna,  at  the  close  of 
Israel's  journey  through  the  great  wilderness,  and  hidden 
in  the  ark  of  the  Old  Covenant,  as  a  testimony  to  all  their 
generations  to  come.  The  outside  world  had  not  this 
manna  then.  It  was  a  gift  to  Israel,  prevailers  with  God, 
or  overcomers;  and  typified  a  great  truth  concerning  future 
life,  only  in  Christ. 

IMMORTALITY    NOT   INHERITED,    BUT    SECURED    THROUGH 

CHRIST. 

Notice  these  strong  words  of  Jesus: — 
"My  Father  giveth  you   [not  that  formerly  given  through 
either  Adam  or  Moses,  now,  but]  the  true  bread  from  heaven. 


CHAP.  VI.]         TO  THE  CHURCH   IN   PERGAMOS.  93 

For  the  bread  of  God  is  He  who  cometh  down  from  heaven,  and 
giveth  [future]  life  unto  the  world."  (John  vi.  32,  33.)  "  Except 
ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drink  His  blood,  ye  have 
NO  life  in  you.  Who  so  eateth  My  flesh,  and  drinketh  My  blood. 
hath  eternal  life  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  *  *  * 
As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  Me,  and  I  live  by  the  Father  ;  so  he 
that  eateth  Me  shall  live  by  Me.''     {Ibid.  53,  54,  57.) 

The  New  Testament  is  brimming  with  the  truth  of 
future  life  only  through  Jesus;  and  the  Old  is  not  less  so; 
but  with  the  difference  that  the  former  states  it  more 
plainly,  the  latter  generally  in  type.  The  Jews  whom 
Jesus  was  teaching  had  learned  through  their  fathers,  who 
learned  it  in  Egypt,*  the  doctrine  of  the  natural  immor- 
tality of  the  soul.  The  pagan  idolaters,  with  whom  the  Per- 
gamenians  mingled,  also  taught  the  same  doctrine.  No 
inspired  writer  affirms  it,  but  to  the  contrary,  that  man  is 
mortal,  wholly  so.     That  death  extinguishes  all  life  in 

man,  and  is  a  condition  of  entire  uncon- 
How  Men  Make  sciousncss.t  That  the  doctrine  of  natural 
God  a,  Liar.        qj.  g^^]^  immortality,  as  popularly  held,  is 

not  true,  and  is  a  denial  of  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Christ,  is  clearly  set  forth  in  1  John  v.  9-13: — ■ 

"If  we  receive  the  witness  of  men,  the  witness  of  God  is 
greater  ;  for  this  is  the  witness  of  God  which  He  hath  testified  of 
His  Son.  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God  hath  the  witness 
in  himself;  he  that  believeth  not  God  hath  inade  Him  a  liar ;  be- 
cause he  believeth  not  the  record  that  God  gave  of  His  Son.    AND 

THIS  IS  THE  RECORD,  that  God  hath  given 
Joiin'a  Belief.         to  US  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  son. 

He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life  ;  and  he  that 
hath  not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life.  These  things  have  I  written 
unto  you  that  believe  on  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  that  ye  may 

*  Herodotus,  "  the  father  of  history,"  who  wrote  in  the  5th  century  B.C.,  says 
that  the  Egyptians  were  "  the  first  of  mankind  who  had  defended  the  immortality 
of  the  soul."— £!«terpe,  c.  123.    {Debt  and  Grace,  p.  267.) 

t  See  Gen.  ii.  17  ;  iii.  17-19  ;  Job  xiv.  10-15,  21 ;  xvii.  13-16  ;  Psa.  vi.  5 ;  cxv.  16, 
17 ;  cxix.  176 ;  cxlvi.  2-4  ;  Eccl.  iii.  18-20 ;  ix.  4-6,  10  ;  Isa.  xxxviii,  10,  17-19 ;  Eze. 
xiii.  22 ;  xviii.  4,  20. 


94  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.         part  II. 

know  that  ye  have  eternal  life,  and  that  ye  may  believe  on  the 
name  of  the  Son  of  God." 

Why,  then,  do  men  say  this  life  is  in  the  soul  ? 

Paul  also  declares  this  life  to  be  in 
Pauline  Christ,  through  faith,  and  not  naturally  in 

Theology.  ^}-^g    SOul:— 

"If  ye  then  be  risen  with  Christ,  seek  those  things  which  are 
above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God.  Set  your 
affections  on  things  above,  not  on  things  on  the  earth.  For  ye  are 
dead  [to  self  and  sin],  and  your  [future]  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in 
God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  THEN  [not  at 
death]  shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him  in  glory." — Col.  iii.  1-4. 

James  says  we  "shall  receive  a  crown  of  life,  which  the 

Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love 
jame*'  jj^j^  (^.j^^  j   -^^y    rpj^^^^  ^^  convcrt  the  sin- 

View.  jj(jj.  fj-om  the  error  of  his  way  is  to  "save 

a  soul  from  death"  (ch.  v.  20).  And  Peter 
also,  together  with  Jesus  and  the  Apostle  Paul, 
holds  up  before  us  the  "precious  promises''  of  God,  "that 

by  these,"  says  he,  "ye  might  be  partakers 
Peter's  ^^  ^/j^  divinc  nature,  having  escaped  the 

Faith.  corruption  that  is  in  the  world  through 

lust"  (2  Epis.  i.  4).  And  then  the  Avords 
of  Jesus  in  prayer: —    » 

"As  Thou  hast  given  Him  power  over  all  flesh,  that  He  should 
give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  Thou  hast  given  Him.  And  this  is 
eternal  life,  that  they  might  know  Thee,  the  onl}^  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ,  whom  Thou  hast  sent." — John  xvii.  2,  3.     See  x.  27. 

It  is  very  clear  that  in  Jesus'  teachings  while  here, 
and  in  His  offer  of  "hidden  manna,"  or  "true  bread  of 
life,"  to  Pergamenian  overcomers — those  who  rejected  the 
alluring  "doctrines"  that  were  being  pressed  upon  them — 
there  is  a  recognition  of  man's  mortal  nature,  and  need  of 
eternal  life,  only  to  be  secured  through  Himself,  of  Him 
"who  only  hath  immortality,  dwelling  in  the  light  which 
no  man  [in  mortality]  can  approach  unto"  (1  Tim.  vi.  16). 


CHAP.  VI.]         TO  THE  CHURCH   IN   PERGAMOS.  95 

There  seems  to  be  no  other  possible  signification  in  the 
symbol  of  "hidden  manna"  as  a  gift  and  cure  for  false  doc- 
trines.    Who  can  find  another? 

The  "White  Stone." — Those  who  received  the 
"liidden  manna"  were  also  to  receive  the  "white  stone,  and 
in  the  stone  a  new  name  written."  We  are  told  of  an  an- 
cient custom  among  the  Romans,  when 
Ancient  ^^^q  pcrsous  or  families  became  mutually 

Tessera;.  attached  to  cach  other  through  kindness, 

friendship  or  love,  to  divide  a  small  white 
stone  upon  which  some  representative  name  or  legend  was 
inscribed,  each  party  retaining  a  piece  as  a  memento.  Only 
when  these  two  pieces  were  joined  again  would  the  com- 
plete inscription  appear  as  proof  of  the  original  mutuality. 
These  "tcsscroc,"  as  they  were  called,  were  highly  prized, 
and  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  perhaps  from 
generation  to  generation.  Thus  the  "white  stone"  is  a 
symbol  of  covenant  relationship.  "Whosoever  shall  confess 
Me  before  men,"  said  the  King  of  kings,  "him  will  I  con- 
fess before  My  Father  who  is  in  Heaven."  What  a  blessed 
promise  of  love!  What  a  precious  tessera  of  hope! 

"A  new  name." — The  "new  name"  seems  to  re- 
late to  the  divine  custom  already  mentioned  (p.  61)  of 
changing  the  names  of  parties  in  covenant  with  God,  as 
Abram  to  Abraham;  Sarai  to  Sarah;  Jacob  to  Israel,  etc. 
It  is  a  memento  of  fellowship,  communion  with  Christ. 
And  since  "no  man  knoweth"  it  saving  the  receiver,  it  is 
personal  fellowship  or  communion  through  the  Holy 
Spirit's  Avitness  in  the  heart.  A  most  blessed,  and  abso- 
lutely inestimable  witness.  Who  would  not  secure  it  at  any 
cost? 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IV.  THE  THYATIEIAN  OR  JUSTINIAN  PERIOD— 

A.  D.  529  TO  A.  D.  1529. 

Text,   Chapter  ii.   18-20. 

i8.  And  unto   the   angel   of   the   church   in  Thyatira   write ; 

These  things  saith  the  Son  of  God,  who  hath 
The  Message  his  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire  ;  and  his  feet 

to  the  Angel  like  fine  brass  ; 

of  Thyatira.  19^  I   know   thy  works,  and   charity,    and 

service,  and  faith,  and  patience,  and  thy  last 
works  to  be  more  than  the  first  {Eniph.  Diag.). 

20.  Notwithstanding  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee,  because 
thou  suff  erest  that  woman  Jezebel,  who  calleth  herself  a  prophetess, 
to  teach  and  to  seduce  My  servants  to  commit  fornication,  and  to 
eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols. 

THYATIRA  signifies  ''a  sweet  savor,"  an  "acceptable 
offering,"  We  approach  in  this  symbolic  outline 
the  greatest  altar  that  faith  has  ever  reared  for 
sacrifice,  or  furnished  with  offerings.  A  new  era  now 
dawns  upon  the  Church  and  upon  the  world.  There  is  no 
historic  evidence  to  show  that  the  Pergamenians  listened 
to  the  Lord's  call  to  them  to  repent  of  their  pride,  forni- 
cation and  false  doctrines,  though  He  fought  them  with  the 
sword  of  His  mouth:  by  which  we  understand  that, through 
faithful  individuals,  He  cut  and  goaded  them  with  the 
Word,  showing  them  their  errors,  and  warning  them  of 
judgments.  And  as  a  result  we  find  no  improvement  in 
the  characteristics  of  Thyatira,  her  sister  in  succession. 
It  is  the  Justinian  era  we  reach  now,  which  is  as  clearly 
outlined  and  detailed  in  history  as  in  these  symbols — a 
very   marvel   of   correspondence.      As   Constantine   "the 

96 


CHAP.  VII.]         TO  THE  CHURCH  IN  THYATIRA.  97 

Great'*  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Church  against  paganism 
in  the  former  period,  securing  her  a  perilous  rest  from  the 
divinely  imposed  labor  and  duty  of  personal  searching  of 
the  Word,  in  the  convenience  of  the  creed  and  the  neces- 
sities of  priestcraft,  so  now  Justinian,  in  some  respects  the 
Greater,  espoused  the  cause  of  popery  (Nicolaitanism)  and 
the  creed  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  only  authoritative 
teacher  outside  the  Word  of  God  itself,  and  the  liberties 
of  the  Church.     The  Pergamenians  officially  conceived  a 

creed  and  gave  it  birth.  The  Thyatirians 
The  Creed  adopted  it,  trained  and  educated  it,  wor- 

Exaited  Above  griped  it,  and  made  it  the  supreme  arbi- 
the  Word.  trator   in   Church   and   State.     And   the 

bloody  trail  of  its  imperial  edicts  against 
the  individual  thought  and  liberties  of  the  humble,  godly 
laity  of  the  Church,  drawn  across  the  Thyatirian  historic 
field,  is  as  indelible,  and  an  hundredfold  more  visible,  than 
the  galaxy  across  the  blue  of  Heaven.  The  darkness  and 
blood  of  the  "dark  ages"  rose  up  against  the  light  and  life 
of  truth,  put  her  to  death,  and  threw  a  sackcloth  of  mourn- 
ing over  the  Gospel  sun  for  a  thousand  years.  Our  Lord 
therefore  appears  to  this  erring  age  with — 

"  Eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire." — This  strikingly 
denotes  the  authority  and  power  of  His  rejected  truth — • 
despised  and  trodden  under  their  feet — for  judgment  (as 
has  been  shown);  for  as  sun  and  flame  light  yet  have  power 
to  scorch,  so  the  truth,  when  proclaimed,  is  ''the  savor  of 
life  unto  life,'*  to  the  believer;  but  becomes  "the  savor  of 
death  unto  death  in  them  that  perish"  through  its  rejec- 
tion. 

"His  feet  like  fine  brass."  —  Literally,  fine  white 
copper,  or  glowing  "as  in  a  furnace"  (chap.  i.  15).  Such 
feet  would  denote  the  absolute  irresistibleness  of  approach- 
ing judgment — tarrying  only  for  possible  repentance. 


98  DIVINE   KKY   OF   THE   REVELATION.         part  II. 

"Works,  charity,  service,  faith,  patience.'*— 

This  Church  is  somewhat  commended,  it  seems,  for  these 
qualities,  doubtless,  as  seen  generally  among  the  individual 
and  humble  members  of  her  laity. 

"Last  works  more  than  the  first."— The  Ephe- 
sians  were  censured  for  diminished  zeal  in  first  works;  but 
these  Thyatirians  seem  to  be  commended  (?)  for  increased 
zeal  in  last  works.  If  "first  works"  in  Ephesus  came  of 
"first  love,"  they  Avould  seem  to  indicate  works  of  real  truth 
and  righteousness  as  opposed  to  routinism,  formalism. 
Like  the  Jews,  they  had  "a  zeal  for  God,  but  not  according 
to  knowledge;"  of  which  it  was  said  in  the  prophets,  "The 
zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up."  And  as  Paul  de- 
scribed his  own  ante-Christian  state,  "being  more  exceed- 
ingly zealous,"  said  he,  "of  the  traditions  of  my  fathers." 
The  next  verse  seems  clearly  to  warrant  this  view. 

"Notwithstanding  I  have  this  against  thee." 
— The  words  '"a  few  things"  were  supplied  by  the  transla- 
tors to  fill  an  ellipsis  here,  but  they  minimize  the  charge 
which  follows.  The  Emphatic  Diaglott  is  better,  giving, 
"I  have  this  against  thee:" — 

"Thou  sufferest  that  woman  Jezebel  *  * 
to  teach." — Jezebel  was  an  idol- worshiping  princess, 
daughter  of  the  King  of  the  Zidonians,  whom  Ahab,  King 
of  Israel,  married,  in  open  violation  of  Jewish  law — an 
offense  to  God,  and  to  the  scandal  of  the  Israelitish  nation. 
The  signification  of  Jezebel  is  uncertain:  according  to  Mar- 
tindale's  Dictionary  it  is,  'hvo  to  thee,  or  the  dunghill;"  in 
Young's  Analytical  Concordance  it  is,  "zuithout  cohabita- 
tion." Her  history  is  found  in  1  Kings  xvi. 
God  Chose  3]^_33  aj^(^  onward  to  xxii.  25;  also,  2  Kings 

the  Types-  j^.  and  X.  God  chose  that  history  and 
We  Must  Find  pointed  it  out,  as  He  did  the  Babylonian 
the  Antitypes,  history  later  on,  and  we  must  find  it  typical 
of  the  great  Thyatirian  apostasy,  persecu- 


CHAP.  VII.]         TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  99 

tion,  tribulation  and  death  of  antitypical  Ahab,  Jezebel,  and 
"her  children."  Ahab,  as  anointed  King  of  Israel,  repre- 
sents in  the  antitype  the  body  oflficial  of  the  Church.  Jeze- 
bel, his  heathen  wife,  represents,  then,  idolatrous  pagan- 
ism in  union  with  the  body  official  of  the  Church.  Women 
were  not  allowed  under  the  law  to  teach.  Jesus  chose  no 
women  teachers;  nor  does  Paul  in  his  writings  allow  it  in 
the  Gospel.  (1  Cor.  xiv.  34-37.)  Thus  "that  woman 
Jezebel"  is  prohibited  for  more  than  one  reason — she  is 
also  an  adulterous  woman. 

The  Church  was  constituted  by  our  Lord  a  body  of 
kings  and  priests  (chap.  i.  6),  and  as  such  they  are,  so  far 
as  truly  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  proper  teachers  of  this 
age.  But  when  the  Church  was  married  to  Constantino, 
Justinian  and  other  human  rulers,  she  forsook  Christ, 
grieved  the  Holy  Spirit,  demeaned  herself,  forfeited  her 
true  exaltation,  and  perverted  God's  whole  arrangement. 
In  yoking  up  with  the  imperialism  of  the  world,  she  re- 
ceived its  spirit,  and,  desiring  to  please  and  edify  her  pagan 
paramours,  essayed  to  teach  the  followers  of  Christ,  au- 
thoritatively, what  each  must  find,  or  believe  is  found, 
taught  in  the  Word  of  God.  That  was  the  hateful  Nicola- 
it  anisin  that  so  displeased  God.  And  there  came  of  it  an 
over-piotis  zeal  for  "the  Church,"  abating  proportionately 
her  zeal  for  God.  Churchianity  in  her  eyes  eclipsed,  and  in 
her  hand  destroyed,  Christianity.  Jezebel  taught,  more 
than  Christ.  Creed-making  destroyed  the  duty  and  the 
act  of  faithful,  earnest  study  of  the  Word.  And  persecu- 
tion, to  put  religion  in  others,  destroyed  true  religion  in 
the  persecutrix  herself.  But  she  was  a  brazen-faced  wo- 
man, and  her  antitype,  the  Eoman  Church,  and  "her  chil- 
dren," modern  (so-called)  orthodoxy,  I  fear  will  never  con- 


lOO  DIVINE   KEY  OP  THE   REVELATION.         PART  II. 

fess  their  errors.     But  I  respectfully  submit  that  it  is  a 

fearful  arraignment  of  the  "orthodoxy" 

''*^*"®  of  a  church  or  people  for  Christ  to  say. 

Arraignment  «£   «ThoU   SUffcrCSt    [willingly   alloWCSt]    that 

"Orthodoxy."  woman  Jezebel  to  teach,"  etc.  In  doing  so 
she  must  at  the  sanie  time  turn  away  her 
ear  form  the  true  teacher,  who  so  unqualifiedly  condemns 
the  Jezebelitic  doctrines  in  "mother"  and  "children"  alike. 
And  it  is  useless  and  sinful  to  deny  it,  since  God  declares  it. 
For,  as  Jezebel  influenced  all  the  succeeding  history  of  the 
kingdom,  after  her  baneful  influence  was  once  gained  there- 
in, so  paganism  in  Christian  garb — ^the  "spirit  of  error," 
and  not  the  "Spirit  of  truth" — has  been  the  teacher  ex- 
oMcio,  and  grand  inquisitor  general  of  the  faith,  from  the 
Councils  of  JSFice,  Constantinople,  Ephesus  and  Chalcedon 
onward  throughout  the  dark  ages,  and — how  far?  It  is 
enough  for  us  here  to  say  that  the  stars  and  the  moon  paled 
to  darkness,  and  the  sun,  which  rose  in  splendor  over  Ephe- 
sus, went  down  at  noon  in  clouds  of  darkness  over  Thya- 
tira.  Tradition,  mysticism,  speculation  and  theological 
"smoke"  and  fog  reigned  supreme.  The  reader  may  decide 
later  whether  the  truth  was  ''established"  in  the  empire 
in  such  an  atmosphere,  or  remained  in  the  mountains  and 
caves  in  spite  of  it.  We  must  give  considerable  attention 
to  the  doctrines  of  this  age,  but  will  first  consider  the  types. 
Will  the  "orthodox"  reader  exercise  candor  and  patience? 


TYPES   OF   THYATIRA. 

"Ahab  served  Baal  and  worshiped  him;"  built  him 
an  house  and  altars,  and  made  him  a  grove: 

Ahab.  thus   in   antitype   did  Thyatira   officially 

unite  with  paganism  in  spirit  and  letter, 

receiving  temples  and  altars  and  forms  and  mysteries. 


CHAP.  VII.]         TO   THE   CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  lOI 

Jezebel  slew  the  prophets  of  the  Lord,  save  one  hun- 
dred that  Obadiah  hid  in  a  cave  and  fed 
Jezebel.  ^j^  BREAD  and  WATER,  and  fed  850  of  the 

prophets  of  Baal  and  of  the  groves  at  her 
royal  pagan  table;  teaching  Israel  "to  eat  things  sacri- 
ficed unto  idols." 

Elijah,  who  represented  the  prophets  of  the  Lord  or 
prophecy,  predicted  that  there  should  be 
Biijab.  neither  dew  nor  rain  those  years  but  by 

his  word.  Dew  and  rain  represent  the 
favor  and  blessing  of  God;  without  them  the  earth  would 
be  a  barren  desert.  So,  however  the  "orthodox"  may  look 
for  good  doctrines  or  "authoritative"  "symbols  of  faith" 
in  the  creeds  of  that  period,  while  their  eyes  are  closed  to 
the  type,  those  whose  eyes  are  open  to  the  Lord's  figures 
see  that  the  type  clearly  discloses  the  fact  that  the  Church 
had  no  distilling  dews  of  Heavenly  grace,  nor  "showers  of 
blessing,"  for  as  many  years  as  Israel  was  deprived  of  those 
literal  blessings  in  days;  or  as  there  were  days  in  Elijah's 
"three  years  and  six  months"  of  famine,  Eor  symbolic 
events  are  measured  by  symbolic  time.  The 
Symbolic  propriety  and  fitness  of  such  a  rule  will 

'*'*"**•  readily  commend  itself  to  every  thoughtful 

reader.  A  day  represents  a  year  in  all  sym- 
bolic prophecy;  that  is,  one  revolution  of  the  earth  on  its 
axis  being  taken  for  one  revolution  in  its  orbit  around  the 
sun.  (See  Eze.  iv.  1-6,  and  margin;  and  Num.  xiv.  34; 
also,  exceptions  as  noted  in  index.)  For  Elijah,  by  com- 
mandment, hid  himself  during  the  period,  from  the  ven- 
geance of  Jezebel,  and  was  fed  by  the  ravens,  or  as  miracu- 
lously shared  the  hospitality  of  an  impoverished  widow, 
whose  empty  "barrel  of  meal"  and  "cruse  of  oil"  neverthe- 
less wasted  not  nor  failed. 

Ahab    accused    Elijah    (as    Thyatira    accused    the 


I02  DIVINE   KKY   OF  THE   REVEIvATION.         PART  II. 

"Arians" — of  whom  we  will  speak  later)  of  being  the 
troubler  of  Israel!  But  Elijah  rebuked  his  accuser  by 
"fire  of  the  Lord"  from  Heaven,  and  slew  all  the  prophets 
of  Baal — the  type  of  the  symbolic  "lake  of  fire"  of  to-day, 
as  we  shall  see,  which  is  consuming  the  beast,  dragon  and 
false  prophet,  and  is  scorching  Trinitarianism  and  other 
Eoman  falsities.     Then,  at  the  prayer  of  Elijah,  the  rain 

came  abimdantly — which  must  also  have 
A  liying:  Spirit  j^g  antitype.  Then  came  the  lying  spirit 
as  a  strong  from  the  Lord,  in  the  mouth  of  Ahab's 
Delusion.  prophets,  which  led  to  Ahab's  death— the 

dogs  licking  his  blood.  And  then,  the 
anointing  of  Jehu  and  the  death  of  Jezebel, — eaten  by 
dogs, — and  the  violent  death  of  all  Ahab  and  Jezebel's 
children.  So  in  the  antitype,  we  shall  find  when  the  events 
of  this  period  ai*e  brought  out,  through  the  Message  we 
are  considering,  the  corresponding  Seal  and  Trumpet,  that 
the  Lord  had  a  people  hidden  away  in  the  mountains  and 
secluded  corners  of  the  earth,  miraculously  sustained,  and 
with  bread,  both  spiritual  and  temporal,  not  found  on 
Jezebel's  table,  for  a  period  of  1,260  years  of  "war  on  the 
saints"— moxk  the  term  "saints" — as  described  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  (Dan.  vii.  31;  viii.  12,  24,  25;  Rev.  xiii.  7;  xvii.  6); 
but  who  were  "heretics"  and  "disturbers  of  Israel,"  as 
charged  by  that  false  teacher  Jezebel. 

If  the  types  are  true  (and  they  are)  all  this  time,  there 
was  an  antitypical  lying  spirit  in  the  mouth  of  creed 
makers,  who  were  so  indifferent  to  the  statements  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  they  set  aside  the  plain  Word  of  God  for 
the  verbose  formulations  of  men  and  councils.  Said  God, 
"They  have  chosen  their  own  ways,  and  their  soul  de- 
lighteth  in  their  abominations.  I  also  will  choose  their 
delusions"  (Isa.  Ixvi.  4).  And  said  Paul:  "For  this  cause 
["because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth"]  God 


CHAP.  VII.]         TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  103 

shall  send  them  strong  delusions,  that  they  should  believe 
a  lie:  that  they  all  might  be  condemned  who  believed  not 
the  truth"  (2  Thes.  ii.  10-12).  Is  it  any  wonder  that  "a 
lying  spirit  in  the  mouth"  should  be  accompanied  by  a 
murderous  spirit  in  the  heart,  which  originated  the  In- 
quisition to  destroy  the  lives  of  those  who  did  receive  the 
truth,  as ,  Jezebel,  their  prototype,  destroyed  them,  and, 
as  history  shows,  of  "her  children?" 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  work  begun  in  the  Pergame- 
nian  age  of  teaching  and  seducing  the  people  of  the  Church 
to  cat  things  sacrificed  to  pagan  idols,  and  to  commit  for- 
nication (as  explained  in  loco),  is  not  only  continued,  but 
greatly  increased  in  the  Thyatirian  era.     Now  we  have 

only  to  study  the  history  of  the  period  to 
Heresy  determine  who  antitypieal  Jezebel  is;  it 

with  Jezebel  jg  ^j-^g  persecuting  power:  who  the  "chil- 
was  Truth  drcu"  are;  they  are  those  churches  con- 

with  God.  nected  with  the  State,  which  hold  and 

teach  her  doctrines:  what  the  real  "her- 
esy" was  that  troubled  Israel;  it  was  what  Jezebel  taught 
with  authority:  who  the  "heretics"  were,  upon  whom  she 
launched  all  the  war  forces  of  the  State:  they  were  the 
"saints  of  the  most  High;"  and  their  "heresy"  was  "the 
truth,"  which  Eome  "cast  down  to  the  ground."  Let  the 
reader  ponder  these^  things  which  meet  us  so  squarely  from 
these  symbols  and  types  without  prejudice;  and,  in  sight  of 
God,  without  fear  or  favor  of  men,  decide  in  his  or  her 
own  mind  whether  we  should  continue  to  call  "heresy" 
what  Eome  calls  heresy,  but  what  God  calls  truth. 
Whether  we  should  continue  to  call  "orthodox,"  and 
"evangelical''  and  true  what  Jezebel  and  "her  children" 
call  thus,  when  God  calls  it  idolatrous  and  false. 

But  we  must  proceed  to  the  direct  liistory  of  Thyatira. 
The   Ephesian   or   Apostolic   age   was   short — thirty-four 


104  divine;   key  of  the  REVE1.ATI0N.        part  II. 

years — and  gave  way  for  the  Smyrniot  age  of  bitterness, 
caused  by  the  persecutions  of  the  pagan  emperors,  ISTero 
to  Diocletian — 249  years.  That  was  followed  by  the  Per- 
gamenian  age  of  pride  and  growing  apostacy  through  the 
influence  of  the  so-called  Christian  emperors,  Constantine 
to  Justinian — 216  years.  From  the  new  Justinian  code  of 
law,  issued  by  that  emperor  in  a.  d.  529,  the  Thyatirian 
period  extends  for  1,000  years  to  the  Protestant  League 
of  A.  D.  1529,  when  a  change  is  met,  and  Sardis  fills  out 
the  balance  of  the  1,260  years  of  Eoman  Catholic  domina- 
tion and  persecution,  260  years,  down  to  a.  d.  1789. 

The  marriage  of  antitypical  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  i.  e., 

the  formal  union  of  Church  and  State, 
Formal  Union  occurrcd  in  A.  D.  519,  and  was  celebrated 
of  cbnrcii  \;\i}i  courtly  display  and  ceremony  at  Con- 

and  State.  stautinoplc,  by  the  Roman  Senate,  and 

the  Church  as  represented  by  the  Patri- 
arch of  that  city,  and  an  embassy  of  papal  legates  from 
Rome.  The  union  was  officially  declared  by  the  legates, 
who  "then  attended  the  patriarch  to  the  great  church," 
says  Bower,  "assisted  at  divine  service  performed  by  him 
with  great  solemnity,  >//f^  emperor,  the  empress,  the  whole 
court,  and  the  senate  being  present;  and  to  seal  the  union, 
received  with  him,  and  probably  at  his  hands,  the  holy 
.  eucharist."  {Hist,  of  the  Popes,  Vol.  I.,  p.  298.)  This 
was  "artfully  calculated  to  subject,  rather  than  to  unite, 
the  see  of  Constantinople  to  that  of  Rome,"  as  the  patri- 
arch declared,  but  he  was  forced  to  submit.  This  union 
occurred  just  ten  years  before  the  "war  on  the  saints" 
fully  began,  by  the  giving  of  "times  and  laws"  into  the 
hands  of  the  Roman  Church.  (See  Dan.  vii.  23-27.)  A 
schism  had  separated  the  Eastern  and  Western  churches 
for  thirty-five  years  prior  to  the  union,  which  was  made 
the  excuse  for  calling  on  the  State  to  enforce  the  union 


CHAP.  VII,]         TO  THK  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  I05 

(nominally  of  the  churches,  but  really  of  State  and 
Church),  so  that  by  imperial  edicts  and  papal  bulls  at  last 
all  the  churches  were  forced  to  subscribe  to  the  decrees 
of  the  Council  of  Chalcedon  concerning  the  supposed  two 
natures  in  Christ,  "so  distinct  that  they  could  not  be  inter- 
mixed, yet  so  conjoined  that  in  Christ  there  was  but  one 
person."  [!]  {Students'  Encyc).  This  was  the  "in  two 
natures"  theory  with  which  the  Council 
'''*®  intended  to  thoroughly  uproot  the  Euty- 

Entychian  (.j^i^n  "of  two  uaturcs"  theory,  which  Mr. 

Theory.  Bowcr  sums  up  thus:     "1.  That  as  there 

was  but  one  Christ,  so  there  was  but  one 
nature  in  Christ.  2.  That  this  nature  consisted  of  the 
human  and  the  divine  natures  become  one  by  the  hypos- 
tatical  union."  {Hist,  of  the  Popes,  Vol.  I.,  p.  199.) 
Eutyches  was  summoned  before  a  council  assembled  in 
Constantinople,  to  answer  the  charge  of  heresy,  and,  being 
abjured  "to  declare  without  ambiguity,  and  in  the  plainest 
terms,  his  real  sentiments  concerning  the  nature  of  Christ, 
he  confessed  with  great  candor  that  he  acknowledged  two 
natures  before  the  union,  and  but  one  after  it."— 76.  The 
whole  Council,  in  great  rage  condemned  him.  He  ap- 
pealed to  the  emperor  and  the  pope,  but  he  is  said  to  have 
"disappeared  from  history"!  "Much  at- 
coancii  of  teutiou  was  paid,"  Mr.  Bower  says,  "to 

Constantinople,  settling  the  CathoUc  belief  with  respect 
to  the  mystery  of  the  incarnation" — a 
mystery  of  their  own  manufacture!  For  the  truth  con- 
cerning the  holy  unction,  the  overshadowing  of  the  Virgin 
of  Bethlehem  by  the  "power  of  the  Highest,"  and  the  sub- 
sequent birth  of  Jesus,  is  really  no  more  mysterious,  in 
itself,  than  was  the  first  Adam's  creation  out  of  dust,  if  we 
only  drop  the  creeds,  and  take  an  independent  stand  upon 
the  Word." 


lo6  divine;   K^Y   of   YHe;   REVElLAYlON.         PART  11. 

"  But  at  last  a  symbol  or  creed  was  happily  composed,  to 
which  they  all  agreed  ;  aud  the  substance  of  it  was  that  there  is 
but  one  Christ,  perfect  God  and  perfect  man,  in  His  divinity  con- 
substantial  with  God,  and  in  His  humanity  consubstantial  with  us  ; 
that  in  Him  the  two  natures  were  united  without  change,  division 
or  mixture  ;  and  subsisted,  not  in  two  persons,  but  in  one,  agree- 
ably to  the  symbol  of  Nice." — lb.,  p.  213. 

But  what  an  exhibition  of  sublime  nonsense  and 
explano-tangled  contradictions!  It  is  "confusion  worse 
confounded;"  and  sublimely  mysterious  enough!  Surely, 
"no  man  can  hope  to  muddle  others  without  first  mud- 
dling himself."  It  is  not  at  all  surprising 
Dr.  shedd  ^-hat    the    learned    and    "orthodox"    Dr. 

Can    Fully  g^g^^  (^^-^^    Q„,^;^_  ^^^^^  y^l    j^  p    4Qg)^ 

Endorse.  Concerning  this  definition,  thinks  it  prob- 

able that  "the  human  mind  is  unable  to 
go  beyond  it  in  the  endeavor  to  unfold  the  mystery  of 
Christ's  complex  person."  I  should  say  so,  if  only  mystery 
were  desired,  and  this  line  of  unfolding  were  to  be  fol- 
lowed. But  Dr.  Shedd  had  not  read  Dr.  Schaff.  Divinity 
has  had  many  "doctors"  since  the  deliver- 
ur.  Schaff  auces   of    Chalccdon;   and   we   have   this 

Can  Fnrtiier       explanation     of     the     "kenotic     theory"! 
Explain.  Philip  Schaff,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  informs  us  in 

his  Ency.  of  Relig.  Knozvl.  (Vol.  I.,  p. 
465  *^),  that  "the  true  kenosis  is  a  renunciation  of  the 
use  (chreesis),  but  not  of  the  possession  (kteesis),  of  divine 
attributes." 

But,  if  the  "divine  attributes'"  M'ere  abandoned  for  the 
great  work  of  the  atonement,  did  not  the  work  itself  cease 
to  be  so  specially  divine?  Why,  then,  the  sacrifice  of  the 
Son  of  God?  Was  it  all  a  farce,  after  all?  If  His  divinity 
was  really  dormant  during  His  earthly  ministry,  why 
might  not  John  the  Baptist,  the  greatest  of  prophets^  or 
some  other  sanctified  agent,  all  whose  powers  were  active, 


CHAP.  VII.]        TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  IO7 

enlisted  and  in  exercise  in  his  office,  have  performed  the 
service  instead?  No  reason  can  be  assigned,  I  think,  but 
one  which  seeks  more  the  clothing  of  mystery,  than  the 
body  of  trnth. 

ORIGIN    OF    TRINITARIANISM. 

In  harmony  with  the  angels'  charge  of  false  doctrines 
in  the  Thyatirian  age,  we  have  the  testimony  of  Edward 
Gibbon  to  the  origin  of  Trinitarianism  there.  He  says 
(italics  mine): — 

"  During  ten  centuries  of  blindness  and  servitiide,  [under  her 
Nicolaitan  conquerors,]  Europe  received  her  religious  opinions 
from  the  oracle  of  the  Vatican  ;  and  the  same  doctrine,  already 
varnished  with  the  rust  of  antiquity,  was  admitted  without  dispute 
into  the  creed  of  the  reformers,  who  disclaimed  the  supremacy  of 
the  Roman  pontiff.  The  synod  of  Chalcedon  still  triumphs  in 
the  Protestant  churches ;  [!]  but  the  ferment  of  controveisy  has 
subsided,  and  the  most  pious  Christians  of  the  present  day  are 
ignorant,  or  careless,  of  their  own  belief  concerning  the  mysterj' 
of  the  incarnation."— Z>ff/z«^  and  Fall,  etc..  Vol.  IV.,  chap.  47, 
If  20. 

CONFESSED    MOTHERHOOD. 

The  above  charge  by  the  foremost  secular  historian 
of  the  18th  century  is  candidly  confessed  by  the  foremost 
Christian  writer  of  this  century,  the  late  president  of  the 
American  Bible  Eevision  Committee,  Dr.  Philip  Schaff,  as 
follows: — 

"The  Council  of  Ephesus  (431),  convened  by  Theodosius  II. 
and  Valentinian  III.,  frequented  by  about  200  bishops,  and  led  by 
Cyril  of  Alexandria,  and  the  Council  of  Chalcedon  (451),  convened 
by  Marcian,  frequented  by  500  or  600  bishops,  and  led  by  the  rep- 
resentatives of  Bishop  Leo,  of  Rome,  laid  the  foundation  upon 
which  the  orthodox  Christology  of  our  days  is  still  resting.^' — 
Ency.  Relig.  Knowl.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  560. 

Oh,  shame,  Thyatira!  "Thou  sufferest  that  woman 
Jezebel,  that  calleth  herself  a  prophetess  [in  her  lauded 
and  "authoritative^'  Councils],  to  teach,"  said  Jesus,  "and 


I08  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION,       [part"ii. 

to  seduce  My  servants  "  !    0  "  Orthodoxy ' ' !   where  is  thy 
repentance?  and  where  is  thy  light? 

TRINITARIANISM    JUSTLY    REBUKED. 

In  contrasting  the  unity  and  permanency  of  Moham- 
medanism with  the  divisions  and  apostasy  of  the  Christian 
Church,  Gihbon  ironically  writes: — 

"If  the  Christian  Apostles,  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  could  re- 
turn to  the  Vatican,  they  might  possibly  inquire  the  name  of  the 
Deity  who  is  worshiped  with  such  mysterious  rites  in  that  magnifi- 
cent temple  ;  at  Oxford  or  Geneva  they  would  experience  less 
surprise  ;  but  it  might  still  be  incumbent  on  them  to  peruse  the 
catechism  of  the  church,  and  to  study  the  commentators  on  their 
own  writings  and  the  words  of  their  Master.  But  the  Turkish 
dome  of  St.  Sophia,  with  an  increase  of  splendor  and  size,  repre- 
sents the  humble  tabernacle  erected  at  Medina  by  the  hands  of 
Mahomet.  *  *  *  <  I  believe  in  one  God,  and  Mahomet  the  Apostle 
of  God,'  is  the  simple  and  invariable  profession  of  Islam." — De- 
cline a7id  Fall,  etc.,  ch.  50,  \  41. 

I  would  that  these  charges  and  reflections  were  not 
truthful  ones.  But  the  Eevelation  gave  the  forewarnings 
of  all  these  things  centuries  before  the  historians  lived 
that  record  them.  Space  forbids  my  entering  fully  into 
the  discussion  of  the  questions  involved.  Many  objections 
will  rise  in  the  mind  of  the  "orthodox"  reader  (if  he  be- 
lieves himself  orthodox),  from  the  unconscious  bias  of  early 
misteachings;  but  faithful  exposition  demands  their  recog- 
nition, and  I  hope  that  enough  will  be  made  clear  to  in- 
spire a  new  personal  investigation  for  the  rest. 

One  error  begets  another.  The  first  was  that  Christ 
preexisted  as  a  divine  person,  being  or  intelligence,  before 
His  birth  of  Mary.  Then,  having  the  divine  nature  first, 
it  could  not  be  obliterated  or  destroyed,  and  therefore  in 
assuming  the  human,  as  the  theory  goes,  it  must  be  in 
some  way  mixed,  or  blended,  or  "conjoined"  with  the 
human.    But  howf  was  the  theological  and  mystical — 


CHAP.  VII.]         TO  THB  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA,  I09 

"  Ignis  fatuus  that  bewitches 
And  leads  men  into  pools  and  ditches." 

If  black  and  white  paint  were  simply  mixed,  the  paint- 
ing would  be  spotted;  if  blended,  it  would 
Order  of  jjg  gray.    But  there  was  no  mixing,  blend- 

jesns'  Two  jj^g  j^qj.  conjoining  of  natures  in  our  Lord. 

Natures.  ^q  make  my  simple  figure  at  all  illustrate 

the  human  and  the  divine  in  Jesus  we 
must  let  the  paint  first  be  wholly  black.  Then  let  the  Al- 
mighty Father,  at  the  proper  time,  by  one  omnipotent 
word,  ^'change''  the  black  to  the  most  immaculate  white- 
ness. For  Jesus  did  not  take  the  angelic  or  divine  nature 
at  birth,  but  at  the  resurrection.  He  "was  made  a  little 
lower  than  the  angels  for  the  suffering  of  death;"  hence 
first  human — exactly  like  the  first  Adam — then  divine, 
after  trial;  for  He  "was  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with 
power,  according  to  the  spirit  of  holiness,  by  the  resurrec- 
tion from  the  DEAD."  (Eom.  i.  4;  1  Cor.  xv.  3,  4.)  He 
was  "made  of  the  seed  of  David  according  to  the  Uesh"  not, 
to  be  sure,  by  the  natural  law  of  generation,  but  by  a  new, 
divine  overruling,  and  creating  a  new  human  seed,  to 
be,  and  which  was,  developed  after  the  natural  law  of  the 
flesh;  so  that  the  "second  Adam"  is  the  only  begotten  Son 
of  God,  as  the  "first  Adam"  was  the  only  created  "Son  of 
God"  (Luke  iii.  38).  The  life  of  that  new  human  seed 
zvas  divine:  it  came  down,  not  from  Adam,  but  "from 
Heaven,"  from  God.  It  was  that  divine  life,  unforfeited 
by  any  subsequent  sin,  that  the  law  demanded,  and  which 
was  sacrificed  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  I  see  no  neces- 
sary mystery  connected  with  the  message  of  the  angel  to 
Mary  the  Virgin  Mother  of  our  Lord;  with  Jesus'  life.  His 
sacrifice,  or  His  death.  Why  should  there  be,  more  than 
about  the  creation,  history,  conviction  and  death  of  the 


no  DIVINE   KEY  OF   THE  REVEIvATlON.        [part  ii. 

first  Adam?    Why  should  man's  redemption  be  more  mys- 
terious than  his  original  creation  from  the  dust? 

A  leading  misconception  with  Trinitarians  is  that 
•  they  regard  it  necessary  to  deify  our  Lord  in  all  His  past 
history,  even  in  His  hnman  nature,  that  He  may  be  prop- 
erly deified  in  His  resurrection  history,  present  and  truly 
divine  nature!  Another  false  notion  is  that  a  divine 
nature,  as  well  as  a  divine  germination,  or  life,  is  necessary 
to  a  divine  mission.  But  Jesus,  to  accom- 
uivine  Nature  ^\[g\i  jjjg  divine  worlc,  must  Consummate 
Cannot  Snffer  j^-  ^^  death;  and  that  which  is  elementally 
Death.  divinc  cannot  suffer  death  or  pain;  be- 

cause it  is  immutable.  Therefore  He  was 
"made  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,"  that  He  might  suffer 
death,  and  be  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power, 
''by  the  resurrection''  into  the  divine  and  deathless  nature. 
He  "poured  out  His  soul  [life]  unto  death" — "the  travail 
of  His  sonV — "his  soul  an  offering  for  sin"  (Isa.  liii.  10-12). 
"His  soul  [nephesh-psuche,  life — the  same  in  the  four  in- 
stances quoted]  was  not  left  in  hell  [^shcol-hades — "grave- 
land"],  neither  His  ^esh  did  see  corruption"  (Acts  ii.  31). 
Sinless  and  pure.  He  took  the  very  sinner's  place  in  recog- 
nition of  the  righteousness  of  God's  violated  law,  and  was 
"made  a  curse  for  us;"  died  God-forsaken,  and  was  soul 
and  body  dead  for  three  revolutions  of  the  earth — "silent 
in  the  grave;"  for  "the  dead  know  not  any  thing:"  their 
"love  and  their  hatred  is  now  perished;  *  *  *  for  there 
is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in 
the  grave,  whither  thou  goest."  (See  Psa.  xxxi.  17;  Eccl. 
ix.  4-10.)  Any  argument  to  make  the  "thou"  of  this  and 
like  passages  refer  only  to  the  body,  not  including  the  soul, 
is  the  veriest  priestcraft— "handling  the  Word  of  God  de- 
ceitfully"— and  only  to  be  reprobated  by  all  persons  loyal 
to  the  expressions  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  hating,  as  God 
hates,  the  work  and  doctrines  of  Jezebel. 


CHAP.  VII.]        TO  THE   CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  Ill 

SCHOLARS    DO    NOT    FIND    SOUL-IMMORTALITY    DIRECTLY 
TAUGHT    IN    scriptures! 

The  candid  acknowledgments  of  scholarly  Christian 
men,  relative  to  there  being  no  Scriptural  authority  for 
the  doctrine  of  natural  or  soul-immortal- 
Abp.  Tiiiotson.  ^|-y^    cannot   be    successfully   invalidated. 
Abp.   Tiiiotson   says:    "The   immortality 
of  the   soul   is   rather   supposed,   or   taken   for   granted, 
than  expressly  revealed  in  the  Bible."     (Sermons   100, 
166.)     Dr.   Parkhurst,  author  of  a  He- 
Dr.  Parkhurst.  i^rew-English  Lexicon  and  a  Greek-Eng- 
lish   Lexicon    to    the    New    Testament, 
writes:     "As  a  noun,  nephesh  hath  been  supposed  to  sig- 
nify the  spiritual  part  of  man,   or  what  we  commonly 
call  the  soul,  I  must,  for  myself,  confess  that  I  can  find 
no   passage   where   it   hath   undoubtedly   this   meaning." 
Prof.  Vinet,  of  the  University  of  Basel, 
Prof.  Vinet.        ^^^  ^l^e  Chair  of  Practical  Theology  of 
Lausanne,  asserts:    "The  doctrines  of  the 
existence  of  God  and  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  are 
everywhere  taken  for  granted  in  His  [Christ's]  words,  but 
never  proved."    We  know  that  all  believers  in  the  "never 
proved"  view  take  it  for  granted,  but  not  so  Jesus,  the 
Apostles,  or  the  prophets,  in  a  solitary  instance.    AVho  can 
point  out  such  an  instance?    I  have  already  shown  to  the 
contrary  in  connection  with  the  "hidden  manna"  (pp.  92- 
95).     In  the  same  connection  it  is  (incidentally)   shown 
why  man  cannot  "kill  the  soul,"  or  life,  which  Jesus  says 
God  "can  destroy"  (Matt.  x.  38);  namely,  it  being  secured 
through  faith,  and  "hid  with  Christ  in  God,"  it  is  beyond 
the  reach  of  man,  though  he  kill  the  body,  and  directly  in 
the  volition  of  God,  as  the  individual  may  prove  true  or 
recreant  to  Christ.    If  the  soul  may  be  destroyed  with  the 
body,  how  could  Jesus,  who  made  the  assertion,  "take  it  for 


112  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI.ATION.       [parT  II. 

granted,"  or  any  other  way,  that  it  is  immortal?  It  is  an 
unsupported  notion  in  those  who  were  educated  from  in- 
fancy to  believe  it,  without  proof,  and  over  whose  minds 
it  consequently  has  now  such  a  power,  that,  until  they  are 
aroused  and  undeceived,  they  suppose  it  to  be  the  "corner- 
stone of  religion." 

Dr.  John  Kitto  renders  Genesis  ii.  7,  as  follows:  "And 

Jehovah  God  formed  the  man,  dust  from 
Dr.  Kttto.  ^jjQ  ground,  and  blew  into  his  nostrils  the 

breath  of  life;  and  the  man  became  a  liv- 
ing animal.  Here  are  two  objects  of  attention,  the  organic 
mechanism  of  the  human  body,  and  [*^]  the  vitality  with 
which  it  was  endowed."  Note.  "We  should  be  acting  un- 
faithfully, if  we  were  to  affirm  that  an  immortal  spirit  is 
contained  or  implied  in  this  passage." — Cycl.  Bib.  Lit.,  Vol. 
I.,  p.  59.   The  Spanish  version  also  gives  "living  animal;" 

i.  e.,  living  creature,  being  or  person.  The 
Dr.  conant.         ygpy  ^\q  linguist.  Dr.  Thomas  J.  Conant, 

who  translated  the  Book  of  Genesis  in  the 
American  Bible  Union  edition,  in  his  note  on  the  phrase 
"breath  of  life"  in  the  above  passage,  says:  "There  seems 
to  be  no  more  implied  than  is  recognized  in  Isa.  ii.  23, 
where  it  is  said,  with  probable  reference  to  this  passage: 
'Cease  ye  from  man,  in  whose  nostrils  is  breath,'  only 
breath,  so  frail  a  principle  of  life  and  so  easily  extin- 
guished." And,  speaking  of  nephesh,  he  says:  "The  He- 
brew word  here  rendered  soul  includes  all  beings  that  have 
animal  life;  and  hence  is  applied  to  animals  of  the  sea  and 
land,  in  chapter  i.  20,  21,  24,  30.  The  English  word  soul 
(like  the  German  seele)  originally  had  this  extent  of  mean- 
ing, as  in  verses  20  and  30,  in  the  margin  of  the  common 
version.  But,  as  the  word  is  now  used,  it  would  misrepre- 
sent the  meaning  in  those  passages." 


CHAP.  VII.]         TO   THE   CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  II3 

INTELLECT  A  FACULTY  OF  THE  BRAIN,  NOT  OF  THE  SOUL. 

This  shows  that  intelligence  is  not  a  faculty  of  the 
soul;  since  the  soul  is  the  life,  as  defined  by  the  Spirit  of 
God, — no  matter  how  modern  lexicons  define  it, — and  is 
common  to  the  whole  animal  kingdom.  The  beast  has 
the  same  kind  of  animal  life  that  man  has. 
Distinction  j|-  jg  maintained,  also,  in  the  same  way 

Between  Man  — -^y  f^^^^  (\vn\\  and  respiration.  So  that 
and  Animals.  ^]-^g  distinction  betwccn  man  and  beast  is 
not  in  life  or  soul;  but  in  intellect,  which 
is  the  function  of,  and  inheres  in,  the  living  organ  of  the 
brain.  The  faculty  of  vision  in  the  beast  is  equal  to  that 
in  man  because  its  organs  of  vision  are  equally  perfect. 
So  with  the  functions  of  hearing,  smelling,  tasting,  feel- 
ing. And  from  these  considerations,  it 
Intellect  sceius  incredible  that,  failing  to  find  in- 

TVot  a  Faculty  tcllcct  a  faculty  of  the  solil,  it  should  be 
o£  the  Spirit,  attributed  by  any  to  the  spirit.  The  spirit 
is  not  life,  but  that  which  produces  life, 
or  soul,  at  the  will  of  the  Creator,  in  organi::cd  matter — ■ 
animal  and  vegetable — it  is  the  vital  force.  It  also  is  ident- 
ical and  common  in  man  and  in  all  the  animal  kingdom. 
The  original  terms  are,  Hebrew,  rnach;  Greek,  pneuma; 
Latin,  spiritus,  from  which  our  English  term  is  derived. 
The  Scptuagint,  or  Greek  version  of  the  Old  Testament, 
renders  rnach  (spirit)  in  Genesis  i.  2,  "a  breath  of  God." 
Gesenius  in  his  lexicon  defines  the  verb. 
Primarily,  «^q  breathe,  to  blow,  especially  with  the 

Spirit  Mean.s  nostrils;"  the  noun,  "spirit,  breath,  breath 
iireati.,  Wind,  ^f  ^\^q  month,"  citing  Psa.  xxxiii.  6.  "By 
the  word  of  the  Lord  were  the  Heavens 
made;  and  all  the  hosts  of  them  by  the  breath  of  His 
month.'' 

Ruach  occurs  in  the  Old  Testament  400  times,  and  has 


114  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.        [PART  II. 

twenty-two  renderings — the  chief  being  spirit,  236  times: 
wind,  95  times;  breath,  28  times.  A  clear  illustration  of 
its  meaning  is  found  in  Eze.  xxxvii.  1-14,  in  which  pas- 
sage it  occm's  twelve  times;  rendered  breath  five  times, 
spirit  four  times,  wind  two  times.  Webster,  Woreester, 
Todd's  Johnson's  Dictmiary,  The  Encyclopaedic,  and  The 
Century,  all  support  Genesius'  definition  as  the  primary 
meaning.     The  last  says: — 

"The  primitive  and  natural  notion  of  life  was  that 
it  consisted  of  the  breath,  and  in  most  languages  words 
etymologically  signifying  'breath'  are  used  to  mean  the 
principle  of  life.'' 

To  so-called  orthodoxy,  this  truth  is  the  "lost  Pleiad" 
in  the  constellation  of  truths  concerning  the  nature  of 
man.  It  is  thoroughly  and  uncontrovertibly  authenticated 
in  the  Scriptures  and  in  philology,  nevertheless.  But 
"Jezebel"  taught  that  the  spirit  and  the  soul  are  the  same, 
and  constitute  an  immortal  and  the  rational  principle 
in  man;  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  thirty-three 
inspired  writers  of  the  Scriptures  have  used  the  term  soul 
785  times,  (in  both  ^Testaments,)  and  the  term  spirit  858 
times, — 1,643  times  in  all, — and  have  never  used  them 
interchangeably,  but  in  contradistinction  to  each  other. 
(See  1  Thes.  v.  23;  Heb.  iv.  12.)  And  "her  children"  in 
the  orthodox  Protestant  world  have  received  of  her  idol 
sacrifices,  and  zealously  teach  her  "doctrine"!  And  there- 
fore it  is  that  in  Worcester's  edition  of  Webster's  Diction- 
ary (1847)  we  find  this  note  following  the  primary  defini- 
tion of  spirit  as  given  above:  "This  sense  is  now  unusual." 
Why  now  unusual?  Since  it  is  Scripturally  and  philologi- 
cally  sound;  because  of  the  substitution,  among  "her  chil- 
dren," of  Jezebel's  teachings  for  the  Word  of  God.  So 
that  now  we  find  in  the  great  "Standard  Dictionary,"  (of 


CHAP.  VII.]      TO  the;  church  in  thyatira.  115 

1895,)  the  primary  definition  of  spirit  given  thus — note 
it  well: — 

"  The  form  of  being  or  substance  characterized  by  self-con- 
sciousness, self-activity,  and  personality,  and  by  the  absence  of  the 
properties  that  distinctively  belong  to  matter,  etc.  *  *  *  2.  A 
being  of  this  kind  as  now  or  formerly  associated  with  a  human 
body.  The  part  of  man  that  has  intelligence  and  is  invisible  and 
incorporeal ;  the  rational  principle  of  the  human  body." 

And  it  is  coolly  and  tersely  stated  that,  "modern 
philosophies  may  be  classified  by  their  views  regarding 
spirit  and  its  relations  to  matter."  While  the  true,  pri- 
mary definition  is  relegated,  in  this  late  "Standard,"  to 
the  twelfth  place  (!)  in  the  order  of  definition,  as  fol- 
lows:— 

"12.  Old  Philos.  (i)  In  ancient  and  medieval  physiology,  an 
attenuated  or  immaterial  principle,  bestowing  and  governing  vital 
phenomena,  generally  connected  in  some  way  with  breath  :  usually 
in  the  plural,  and  used  often  with  a  qualifying  adjective  ;  as  vege- 
tative 5/>zV/V^  ,■  \\\.2\  spirits  ;  2i\\\n\?X  spirits.  This  use  gave  rise  to 
numerous  expressions  [8®°"]  now  regarded  as  figurative,  but 
[notice]  intended  literally  by  old  writers." 

What  an  admission — candid  enongh — for  the  "mod- 
ern philosophies  to  make!"  But  the  old  writers  must  in- 
clude the  writers  of  the  Word  of  God  to  ns;  and  their  use 
of  the  word  niach,  and  their  intentions  concerning  the 
meaning  conveyed  to  us,  ought  to  settle  the  question  of 
the  nature  of  spirit,  in  man,  and  in  the  animal  creation  as 
well,  with  every  "modern"  Christian.  May  God  continue 
the  good  old  literal  truth  "intended"  by  the  old  writers: 
as,  for  instance,  IMoses — Gen.  vii.  22;  and  Solomon — 
Eccl.  iii.  18-21.  Any  innovation  of  the  newer  philoso- 
phies upon  tJicsc  "old  writers"  is  very  dangerous.  Jesus 
appeared  to  the  Thyatirian  age — the  age  which  conquered 
the  Church  with  the  doctrines  of  those  "orthodox"  Eoman 
Catholic  councils,  Ephesus  and  Chalcedon — with  "eyes 
like  unto  a  flame  of  fire!"    It  was  a  dangerous  apostasy  to 


Il6  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.        [part  II. 

demand  such  a  threatening  aspect  towards  it:  its  only  cure 
was  the  "liidden  manna" — the  AVord  of  God  concerning 
Jesus,  in  phice  of  tlie  bread  of  idol  sacrifices.  And  the 
Xicolaitan  s])irit  of  the  Pergamenian  age  was  still  alive  and 
frenzied  in  its  determination  to  deify  Christ  in  His  first 
or  human  nature,  and  force  the  dogma  (not  so  much  as 
if  it  were  a  wholesome  faith  into  the  heart,  as  arbitrarily 
force  it)  into  the  mouth  of  every  time-serving  priest  that 
would  cater  to  the  spirit  of  so-called  orthodoxy  and  Eome. 

"  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?     Is  the  test 

To  try  both  your  state  and  your  scheme  ; 
You  cannot  be  right  in  the  rest, 
Unless  you  think  rightly  of  Him." 

— Newton. 

The  origin  of  Trinitarianism  was  Preexisteutism  (that 
is,  "the  doctrine  of  the  [personal]  exist- 
The  Lie  of  Edei.  ^^^^g  ^f  ^j^^  spirit— of  Clirist  and  of  man 
a  Fountain         —beforc  its  uniou  with  the  body");  the 
o£  Error.  origin  of  Preexistcntism  was  the  doctrine 

of  the  immortality  of  the  soul;  and  the 
origin  of  the  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  was 
the  original  lie  told  in  the  garden  of  Eden:  "Ye  shall  not 
surely  die;",  but  "ye  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good  and 
evil" — squarely  contradicting  God's  Word,  which  said, 
"Thou  shalt  surely  die."  (Gen.  ii.  17.)  And  this 
seemed  like  i)hilosophy  and  reason  to  our  deceived  and 
doidjting  first-parents,  as  it  has  been  pretended  by  deceived 
doubters  and  philosophists  all  the  ages  since,  in  all  the 
grades  of  doubt  and  "higher  criticism."  We  have  seen 
that  the  Bible  does  not  teach  present  immortality,  but 
denies  it,  and  makes  it  a  hope  to  those  "who,  by  patient 
continuance  in  well  doing,  seek  for  glory  and  honor  and 
immortality"  (Romans,  ii.  7);  and  cited  the  confessions  of 
authorities,  that  fairly  represent  the  consensus  of  learned 


CHAP.  VII.]         TO   THE   CHURCH    IN   THYATIRA.  II7 

opinion,  that  the  doctrine  is  only  assumed,  inferred,  but 

"never  proved."  In  palliation  of  the 
Error  as  a  naked    inconsistency    of    assuming    what 

Shield  for  cannot  be  proved  by  revelation,  reason  or 

Error.  experience,   it  is   customary  to   associate 

with  til  is  postulate  a  fellow  assumption, 
namely,  that  the  existence  of  God  is  also  "taken  for 
granted!"  The  Presbyterian  Quarterly  (18G0,  p.  GOO)  says: 
"The  Bible  generally  assumes  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
as  it  does  the  existence  of  God."  The  Boston  Rez'iczu  (1861, 
p.  446)  says:  "We  know  that  the  soul  is  immortal  as  we 
know  there  is  a  God."  I  regard  this  as  a  shame  on  Chris- 
tian scholarship.  Prof.  Vinet  said  the  words  of  Christ, 
also,  assumed  "the  existence  of  God."  But  outside  Jesus' 
own  declared  experience,  having  seen  the  Father,  there  was 
the  faith  of  all  Israel  in  the  abundant  testimony  of  the 
})rophets,  that  rendered  it  unnecessary  for  Him  to  for- 
mally prove  to  them  the  existence  of  God  as  to  prove  to 
them  the  existence  of  Abraham  or  Moses.  Moses  did  not 
take  it  "for  granted"  that  God,  whose  existence  he  as- 
sumed, made  the  Heavens  and  the  earth,  man  and  all 
things!  Moses  talked  with  God  as  Adam  did,  and  saiv 
God.  He  also  received  the  law  from  the  hand  of  the  Angel 
of  his  Presence,  some  of  it  written  by  God  Himself  in  the 

tables  of  stone.  And  yet,  according  to 
The  Bible  on  ^j^jg  theory  of  "orthodoxy,"  the  existence 
the  Existence  ^f  Qq^|  jg  ^^q-^  proved!  Why  is  it  not 
***  ^<*^-  proved,  as  clearly  as  any  thing  can  be 

jiroved,  in  the  experience  of  Moses  alone? 
Because,  as  a  last  resort,  if  not  proved,  it  helps  in  the  ad- 
vocacy of  natural  immortality,  which  must  be  received 
without  proof!  "Misery  loves  company."  And  people  in 
their  zeal  for  the  traditions  of  their  fathers,  too  easily 
accept  such  propositions  as  truthful,  or  at  least  as  plans- 


Il8  DIVINK  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.       [part  il. 

ible  excuses  for — what?  for  attending  Jezebel's  banquet, 
and  partaking  of  things  sacrificed  nnto  idols.  But  the  fact 
remains,  that  "the  Lord  descended  upon  (Mount  Sinai)  in 
fire;"  and  "they  saw  the  God  of  Israel  [that  is  the  Angel 
of  his  Presence — Ex.  xxiii.  20-22;  Judg.  xiii.  20-22];  and 
there  was  under  His  feet  as  it  were  a  paved  work  of  sap- 
phire stone,  and  as  it  were  the  body  of  Heaven  in  clear- 
ness" (Ex.  xxiv.  10).  "The  earth  shook,  the  Heavens  also 
dropped  at  the  presence  of  God;  even  Sinai  itself  was 
moved  at  the  presence  of  God,  the  God  of  Israel"  (Psa. 
Ixviii.  8).  To  ignore  all  this,  and  very  much  more,  will 
not  inspire  students  of  the  Word  that  other  Scriptures  are 
not  ignored  at  the  same  time — specially  those  relating  to 
immortality,  which  is  the  direct  cause  of  this  ignorement. 
The  above  demonstration  was  in  presence  of  all  Israel 
whom  Moses  had  "brought  out  of  the  camp  to  meet  God," 
that  they  might  "believe  [Him]  forevei-"  (Ex.  xix.  9,  17). 
And  the  Lord,  while  hidden  in  the  cloud,  "spake  unto 
Moses  face  to  face,  as  a  man  speaketh  to  his  friend." 
Moses  took  nothing  for  granted;  but  said,  "I  beseech  Thee, 
show  me  Thy  glory."  And  God  said,  "I  will  make  all  My 
goodness  to  pass  before  thee,  and  I  will  proclaim  the  name 
of  the  Lord  before  tliee.  *  *  *  And  He  said,  thou 
canst  not  see  My  face;  for  there  shall  no  man  see  Me,  and 
live.  *  *  *  Behold,  there  is  a  place  by  Me,  and  thou 
shalt  stand  upon  a  rock;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  while 
My  glory  passeth  by,  that  I  will  put  thee  in  a  cleft  of  the 
rock,  and  will  cover  thee  with  My  hand  while  I  pass  by; 
and  I  will  take  away  Mine  hand,  and  thou  shalt  see  My 
back;  but  My  face  sliall  not  bee  seen"  (Ex.  xxxiii.  11-23). 
But  the  words  of  Jesus  also,  as  do  the  words  of  Isaiah  and 
others  of  the  prophets,  prove  the  existence  of  God.  Jesus 
said  not  only  that  God  was  His  Father,  but  that  He  knew 
the  Father,  and  came  forth  from  Him.     He  said  God 


CHAP.  VII.]         TO   THE   CHURCH   IN   THYATIRA. 


119 


always  heard  His  requests;  and  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  and 
in  the  voices  that  came  to  Him  from  Heaven  in  tlie  hear- 
ing of  the  people,  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and  as 
recorded  in  John  xii.  28-30, were  convincing  enough  proofs 
of  His  Father's  existence,  to  all  convincible  people.  But 
to  he  convinced  against  the  will,  is  to  liold  the  same  opin- 
ion still — was  then,  and  is  now. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CONTINUATION  OF  THE  THYATIEIAN  OR  JUS- 
TINIAN   PERIOD. 

Text,  Chapter  ii.  21-29. 

21,  And  I  gave  her  space  to  repent  of  her  fornication  ;  and 
she  repented  not. 

22.  Behold,  I  will  cast  her  into  a  bed,  and  them  that  commit 
adultery  with  her  into  great  tribulation,  except  they  repent  of 
their  deeds. 

23  And  I  will  kill  her  children  with  death  ;  and  all  the  churches 
shall  know  that  I  am  He  who  searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts  :  and 
I  will  give  unto  every  one  of  you  according  to  your  works. 

24.  But  unto  you  I  say,  and  unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira,  as  many 
as  have  not  this  doctrine,  and  who  have  not  known  the  depths  of 
Satan,  as  they  speak  ;  I  will  put  upon  you  none  other  burden. 

25.  But  that  which  ye  have  already,  hold  fast  till  I  come. 

26.  And  he  that  overcometh,  and  keepeth  My  works  unto  the 
end,  to  him  will  I  give  power  over  the  nations : 

27.  And  He  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron  ;  as  the  vessels 
of  a  potter  shall  they  be  broken  to  shivers  :  even  as  I  received  of 
My  Father. 

28.  And  I  will  give  him  the  morning  star. 

29.  He  that  hath  an*  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith 
unto  the  churches. 


E  cannot  trace  the  doctrine  of  natural  immortality 
from  Eden  to  Egypt,  hut  the  "father  of  history," 
as  we  have  seen,  locates  it  again  there,  where 
Israel  were  hondmen  for  215  years.  We  know  the  Jews  held 
it  after  their  return,and  that  Jesus  charged  His  disciples  to 
"beware  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the  Saddu- 
cees."  It  was  held  douhtless  by  all  the  nations  who  forgot 
God,  and  worshipped  idols;  for,  "this  is  life  eternal,  that 
they  might  know  Thee,"  said  Jesus,  "the  only  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ,  whom  thou  hast  sent"  (John  xvii.  3),  that  is, 

120 


CHAP.  VIII.]       TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  121 

this  is  the  way  to  the  obtaining  of  immortality — this 
knowledge  of  God.  Present  immortality  was  taught  vigor- 
ously by  the  schools  of  Athens,  we  know.  But  why,  then, 
should  Justinian,  the  great  Imperial  Theologue,  suppress 
those  schools?  It  was  simply  killing  the  dragon  to  drink 
liis  broth.  Independent  heathen  schools  could  not  be  tol- 
erated; but  their  philosophy  could  be  assimilated.  Justin- 
ian is  justly  charged  in  this  with  "avarice  and  jealously," 
by  Gibbon,  who  says  further  that  "the  establishment  of  a 
new  religion  proved  fatfl  to  the  schools  of  Athens,"  which 
"had  given  so  many  sages  to  mankind."  {Decline  and  Fall, 
etc.,  Vol.  IV.,  ch.  40.) 
Eotteck  also  says: — 

"The  heathen  philosophers  were  silenced  by  the  mandate  of 
Justinian  ;   but  their  principal    teachers,   Plato 
Platonlsm  and  Aristotle,  continued  to  prevail  even  in  the 

ii»  the  Christian  schools.     The  reputation  of  the  Stag- 

Catbollc  Schools,  irite  [Aristotle]  was  greatly  enhanced  by  Philo- 
ponus  (in  the  yth  century),  and  still  more  by 
John  of  Damascus  (in  the  8th),  who  founded  his  system  of  theology 
upon  the  Peripatetic  wisdom,  and  by  this  means  gave  birth  to  the 
scholastic  philosophy.  Isidorus  and  Beda  in  the  West  were  also 
friends  of  the  Stagirite.''' — Hist,  of  the  World,  Vol.  II  ,  p.  ar. 

Thus  the  Church  of  Christ,  as  the  Jewish  Church  had 
done  before,  received  from  heathenism  the  doctrine  of  soul- 
immortality,  which  is  so  pleasing  to  the  pride  of  the  unen- 
lightened human  understanding.  Ahab  had  taken  Iczebcl 
to  wife;  and  Jezebel  was  feeding  the  prophets,  and  teach- 
ing the  Church.     But  further: — 

"At  the  General  Council  of  Vienne,  under  Pope  Clement  V., 
the  '■Clementine  Constitutions,'  or  decrees   by 
Council  of  Clement,  were  approved.     One  of   those  con- 

V'teiiiie,  stitutions  is  in  this  form  :     'AH  doctrine,  either 

A.D.  1311-1313.        rashly  asserting  the  position  or  calling  in  ques- 
tion the  fact  that  the  rational  or  intellectual 
substance  of  the  soul  is  not  truly  and  perfectly  of  the  form  of  the 
human  body — this,  with  the  approval  of  the  holy  council,  we  rep- 


122  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE  REVEI.ATION,       [part  ir. 

rebate  as  erroneous  and  hostile  to  the  truth  of  the  Catholic  faith  : 
defining  this  in  order  that  the  truth  of  an  unadulterated  faith  may 
be  known  to  all;  and  that  whoever  hereafter  shall  presume  to  as- 
sert, defend,  or  hold  pertinaciously,  that  the  rational  soul  is  not, 
in  itself  and  essentially,  of  the  form  of  the  human  body,  should 
be   considered  as   a  A^r<?//r. '— Caranza.     Summa    Conciliorum, 

fol    433.      LUGDUNI,   X587." 

A  comparison  of  the  definition  of  spirit,  quoted  from 
the  new  Standard  Dictionary  a  few  jDages  back,  will  qitickly 
■  determine  with  which  it  agrees  best,  our  quotations  from 
Scripture,  or  with  the  above  decrees  of  Pope  Clement  V.; 
and  whether  or  not  the  popular  Dictionary  of  to-day  may 
fairly  l)e  said  to  represent  the  daughters  of  Jezebel.  The 
Council  of  Lateran,  under  Pope  Leo  X.,  decreed  as  fol- 
lows:— 

"  Whereas  in  these  our  days,  some  have  dared  to  assert  con- 
cerning the  nature  of  the  reasonable  soul,  that 
roiiucil  of  it  is  mortal^  or  one  and  the  same  in  all  men  ; 

Lateral!,  and  Some,  rashly  philosophizing,  declare  this  to 

A.D.  1513.  be  true  :      *      We,  with  the  approbation  of  the 

sacred  coinicil,do  condenui  and  reprobate aXl  those 
who  assert  that  the  intellectual  soul  is  mortal,  *  and  those  who 
call  these  things  in  question  ;  seeing  that  the  soul  is  not  only  truly, 
and  of  itself,  and  essentially,  of  the  form  of  the  human  body,  as 
is  expressed  in  the  canon  of  Pope  Clement  V.,  published  in  the 
General  Council  of  Vienne  ;  but  likewise  immortal,  and,  according 
to  the  number  of  bodies  into  which  it  is  infused  is  singularlj-  mul- 
tipliable,  multiplied,  and  to  be  multiplied :  which  manifestly 
appears  from  the  gospel,  [?]  seeing  that  our  Lord  saith,  Thej'  can- 
not kill  the  soul ;  and  elsewhere,  He  who  hate'th  his  soul  in  this 
world,  etc.,  and  also  because  He  promised  eternal  pain  [?]  and 
eternal  torments  [?]  to  those  who  are  to  be  judged  according  to 
their  merits  in  this  life.  Otherwise  the  incarnation,  and  other 
mysteries  of  Christ,  would  not  profit  us,  nor  were  a  resurrection 
to  be  expected  ;  *  *  *  and  we  strictly  inhibit  all  from  dogma- 
tizing otherwise,  and  we  decree  that  all  who  adhere  to  the  like 
erroneous  assertions  shall  be  shunned  and  piinished  as  heretics." 
Thus  the  Council  asserted  not  only  the  natural  im- 
mortality of  the  soul,  but  its  transmigration  into  other 


CHAP.VIII.]       TO  THK  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  123 

bodies.  And  sought  to  draw  Jesus  into  the  view  of  its 
continued  life  after  death  by  a  misuse  of  His  words.  For 
Jesus  taught  that,  "He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life  [a 
future  life] ;  and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God  hath 
NOT  life"  (1  John  v.  12);  or  "shall  not  see  life"  (John 
iii.  36).  The  future,  immortal  life  (or  soul)'^  is  not  a  gift 
of  nature,  but  of  Christ.  (John  iv.  14;  vi.  27,  etc.)  Paul 
speaks  of  the  Christians  of  Colosse  as  being  "dead,"  i.  c, 
to  sin,  and  to  the  world;  and  then  says,  "Your  LIFE  is 
hid  with  Christ  in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life, 
shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  [by  a  resurrection]  appear 
with  Him  in  glory."  (Col.  iii.  3,  4.)  It  is  thus  true  that 
though  man  may  kill  the  body,  he  cannot  destroy  the  life 
which  is  hid  with  Christ;  while  were  the  same  person,  as 
a  "branch"  in  Christ,  to  cease  to  bear  fruit,  he  would  be 
cut  off  for  utter  destruction.  (John  xv.  1-5.)  God  could, 
and  would,  destroy  the  life  hidden  as  well  as  the  body. 

"  111  Luther's  Defense  of  the  Propositions  condemned  by  Leo 

X.,  proposition  xxvii.,  he  replies  :  '  It  is  certain 
Martin  Luther's  that  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  the  Church  or  the 
Answer.    (1520.)     pope  to  establish  articles  of  faith,  or  laws  for 

morals  or  good  works.  *  *  *  But  I  permit  the 
pope  to  make  articles  of  faith  for  himself  and  his  faithful,  such  as 
the  bread  and  wine  are  transubstantiated  in  the  sacrament.  The 
essence  of  God  neither  generates  nor  is  generated.  The  soul  is 
the  substantial  form  of  the  human  body.  The  pope  is  the  em- 
peror of  the  world,  and  the  king  of  heaven,  and  God  upon  earth. 
T/ie  soul  is  imviortal,  with  all  those  monstrous  opinions  to  be 
found  in  the  Roman  dunghill  of  decretals,  that  such  as  his  faith  is, 
such  may  be  his  Gospel,  such  his  disciples,  and  such  his  church.'  " 
—Luther's  Works,  Vol.  II.,  fol.  107.    Wittenberg,  T562. 

*  Zoe  is  the  Greek  term  most  frequently  rendered  life  in  our  English  Version, 
ia  the  term  for  life  in  the  passages  just  quoted  ;  [«t5»]  and  is  never  rendered  soul. 
Pmchc,  on  the  contrary,  is  rendered  Jife  forty  times  and  soul  lifty-eight  times. 
It  is  the  term  for  soul  in  IMatthew  x.  28,  as  cited  in  the  decree  of  the  Lateran 
Council ;  and  is  twice  rendered  life  and  twice  soul,  in  Mark  viii ;  35-o7.  it  means 
life  and  should  be  so  rendered— is,  in  the  Revmon  in  Mark  viii,  35-37,  though  soul 
is  retained  in  Matthew  x,  28,  where  the  Emphatic  Diaglott  gives  life. 


124  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.       [part  ir. 

In  Archdeacon  Blackburne's  Works,  he  says,  "Luther 

espoused  the  doctrine  of  the  sleep  of  the 
Arciideacon  g^^^i  ^^p^j^  ^  Scriptural  foundation,  *  *  * 
Biackimrne.        ^ud  Continued  in  that  belief  to  the  last 

moment  of  his  life."  "Luther  was  plainly 
on  the  side  of  those  Avho  maintain  the  sleep  of  the  soul." 
(Vol.  III.,  pp.  64,  65.)  "In  this  opinion  [^]  he  followed 
many  fathers  of  the  ancient  church."    {lb.,  p.  348.) 

"  In  the  year  1530,  William  Tyndale  [the  translator  of  the  New 

Testament,  and  martyr  for  his  faith]  answered 
Tymdale's  Sir  Thomas  More's  Dialogue.     More  objected 

Answer  to  to  Luther,  that  he  held,  '  i/iai  all  souls  lye  and 

sir  Thonias  More,  sleep  till  domes  day.'     It  is  to  be  supposed  that 

if  this  was  not  Luther's  doctrine,  Tyndale  would 
have  denied  it ;  or  at  least  would  have  said  that  it  was  not  held  by 
Protestants  in  general.  Instead  of  that,  he  acknowledges  it  for 
the  doctrine  of  the  Protestants,  grounded  on  Scripture,  as  appears 
by  his  answer  :  namely,  'And  ye,  in  putting  them  [departed  souls] 
in  Heaven,  hell,  and  purgatory,  [B^*]  destroy  the  arguments 
wherewith  Christ  and  Paul  prove  the  resurrection.  *  *  *  The 
true  faith  putteth  [teacheth]  the  resurrection  [as  to  a  hope  of 
future  life],  which  we  are  warned  to  look  for  every  hour.  The 
philosophers  denying  that  [the  resurrection],  did  put  that  souls 
did  ever  live.  And  the  pope  joined  the  spiritual  doctrine  of  Christ 
and  the  fleshly  doctrine*  of  philosophers  together,  things  so  con- 
trary that  they  cannot  agree.  *  *  *  And  because  the  fleshly- 
minded  pope  consenteth  unto  heathen  doctrine,  therefore  he  cor- 
rupteth  the  Scriptures  to  establish  it.  *  *  *  If  the  souls  be  in 
Heaven,  tell  me  why  they  be  not  in  as  good  case  as  the  angels  be  ? 
And  then  what  cause  is  there  of  the  resurrection?'  Again,  More 
objects  thus :  '  What  shall  he  care  how  long  he  live  in  sin  that 
believeth  Luther,  that  he  shall,  after  this  life,  feel  neither  good 
nor  evil,  in  body  nor  soul,  until  the  day  of  doom?  '  Tyndale  an- 
swers :  '  Christ  and  His  apostles  taught  no  other,  but  warned  to 
look  for  Christ's  coming  again  every  hour:  which  coming  again, 
because  ye  believe  will  never  be,  therefore  have  ye  feigned  that 
other  merchandise.'  {Tyndale' s  Works,  p.  327.)  These  extracts 
plainly  shew  what  was  the  doctrine  espoixsed  by  the  first  reformers 
upon  this  subject ;  that  is  to  say,  they  shew  what  they  were 
charged  with  by  their  adversaries,  and  what  they  themselves 
avowed." — Blackburne's  Works,  Yo\.  III.,  pp.  65-67. 


CHAP.VIIl]       TO  THE   CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  I25 

Thus  did  Thyatira  suffer  that  heathen  woman  Jezebel 

to  teach  and  seduce  God's  servants.  George 
George  Wishai't,  "tlic  Martyr,"  was  cruelly  burned 

wishart.  rji;  ^i^Q  stake  as  a  heretic  in  a.  d.  1546,  by 

her  order,  one  of  the  several  charges 
l)rought  against  him  being  that  he  had  said  publicly  that 
"the  soul  of  man  should  sleep  till  the  last  day,  and  should 
not  obtain  immortal  life  till  that  time."  This  is  found  in 
Fox  and  in  Blackburne.  But  is  was  "an  acceptable  offer- 
ing" to  God,  as  were  all  those  50,000,000  lives  that  were 
sacrificed  during  the  twelve  dark  centuries  of  Jezebel's 
reign,  on  the  altar  of  a  pure,  loyal  faith,  and  of  a  Scrip- 
tural hope. 

I  have  said  that  the  doctrine  of  soul-immortality  was 
the  origin  of  Preexistentism,  which  brought  those  great 
troubles  to  the  Church  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries. 
For  if  the  soul  is  "the  man  proper,"  the  "intellectual  man," 
the  "spiritual  nature  as  incarnate,"  as  men  are  fond  of 
thinking,  and  can,  and  does,  survive  the  death  of  the  body; 
then  it  may  have  lived  or  existed  in  the  same  conscious- 
ness before  it  became  connected  with  the  body, — inde- 
pendent of  the  body,  as  well  before  as  after  death;  why 
not? — as  all  the  heathen  philosophers  have  reasoned;  and 
then  the  "light  of  Asia"  may  yet  outshine  the  "Light  of 
the  world!"  For  the  Light  of  the  world,  as  contained  in 
the  Word  of  God,  contains  no  data  from  which  such  an 
inference  even  can  be  fairly  drawn.  But  when  Eome  could 
not  draw  proof  or  fair  inferences  from  the  Scriptures,  she 
could  take  any  thing  she  pleased  "for  granted,"  summon 
tradition  or  a  council,  or  both,  formulate  theories,  and 
fulminate  bulls  and  edicts  against  all  who  could  not  find 

the  same  in  the  Word  of  God.  As  early 
Arius.  ag  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century 

Arius,  a  presbyter  of  Alexandria,  became 


126  DIVINK   KEY  OF  THE  REVEI.ATION.        [part  ii. 

involved  in  a  dispute  with  the  patriarch  (or  bishop)  of 
Constantinople  over  the  nature  and  preexistence  of  Christ, 
which  resulted  in  the  calling  of  the  Council  of  Nice,  and 
the  first  authoritative  creed.  '^Arius  taught  that  the  Son 
was  not  cocssential  nor  coetcrnal,  that  he  had  a  beginning; 
and  there  was  a  time  when  he  was  not.  The  Nicene  coun- 
cil pronounced  these  doctrines  heretical,  and  Arius  was 
exiled  to  Illyricum."  (Johnson's  Cyclopedia.)  The  Nicene 
creed  was  (partly)  in  these  words: — 

"We  believe  in  one  God,  Almighty,  *  *  *  and  in  one  Lord, 

Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  begotten  of  the 
The  Father,  the  only  begotten ;  that  is,  of  the  sub- 

Nlceue  Creed.  stance  of  the  Father;    God  of  God,  Light  of 

Light,  very  God  of  very  God  ;  begotten,  not 
made  ;  of  one  substance  of  the  Father ;  by  whom  all  things  in 
Heaven  and  earth  were  made.  *  *  *  And  those  who  say  there 
was  a  time  when  the  vSon  of  God  was  not,  or  that  He  did  not  exist 
before  He  was  made  [man],  because  He  was  made  out  of  nothing, 
or  of  another  substance  or  essence,  or  that  He  was  created  or 
mutable— the  Catholic  and  Apostolic  church  anathematizes  such." 
These  were  the  first  breathings  of  what  was  then 

piously  styled  (and  is  still  subserviently 
"An  Ineffable  Relieved  to  be)  "an  ineffable  mystery"— 
Mystery."  ic^  m^stcry,"   says  Bower,  "which  could 

not  be  expressed;"  and  yet  whose  adher- 
ents exiled  or  "massacred  all  who  did  not  agree  with  their 
way  of  expressing  it."  And,  says  Gibbon,  "In  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifth  century,  the  unity  of  the  tzvo  natures  was 
the  prevailing  doctrine  of  the  Church.  On  all  sides  it  was 
confessed  that  the  mode  of  their  co-existence  could  neither 
be  represented  by  our  ideas  nor  expressed  by  our  lan- 
guage!" (Vol.  IV.,  ch.  47,  11  10.)  It  would  not  be 
worth  our  while  to  speak  of  these  things  if  it  were  not 
for  the  fact  that  the  same  "ineffable"  folly  is  taught  in 
the  great  schools  of  our  day.  It  is  a  wonder  that  these 
men,  in  their  unscriptural  zeal  to  deify  the  man  of  Naza- 


CHAP.  VIIl]        TO  THE   CHURCIf   IN   THYATIRA.  I27 

reth  and  of  Calvary,  would  have  allowed  Him  ever  to  have 
been  begotten  or  born  at  all,  or  at  least  that  He  was  in 
any  sense  the  Son  of  man.  When  the  proper  relationship 
existed  between  God  and  the  Clinrch,  as  in  the  days  of  the 
Apostles,  in  her  simple,  unadulterated  faith,  her  artless 
teaching  of  the  Gospel  as  it  imitated  the  Spirit  and  manner 
of  Jesus  Himself,  was  accompanied  by  demonstrations  of 
the  power  of  God  to  convert  men  to  the  true  faith,  "ac- 
cording to  His  will."  But  when  she  began  to  magnify 
mysteries  more  than  the  Gospel,  (the  whole  spirit  of  which 
she  neglected  to  mouth  her  own  incomprehensible  theo- 
ries,) she  had  departed  from  God,  and  had  no  power  to  rely 
upon  but  the  power  of  the  State.  And  here  is  strong  proof 
in  itself  that  she  had  departed  from  God  as  a  teacher;  for 
if  there  were  no  proof  in  the  Scriptures  (which  there  is 
in  abundance)  that  her  doctrines  of  "the  Trinity,"  and  of 
the  "divinity"  (or  duality)  of  nature,  and  preexistence  of 
Christ,  are  corrupt,  the  corruption  of  the  teacher  of  those 
doctrines,  and  in  teaching  them,  is  sufficiently  demon- 
strated, both  in  prophecy  and  history,  by  her  loss  of  divine 
power,  and  her  adulterous  leaning  on  the  dragon's  broken 
staff  of  State-power.  And  what  a  lesson  it  should  teach 
the  Protestant  world  respecting  the  declaration  of  God, 
"I  will  kill  her  children  with  death."  But  death,  alas! 
being  a  state  of  unconsciousness,  how  insensible  are  the 
dead  or  the  dying  to  their  condition!  Oh,  "the  creeds  of 
Christendom!"  how  their  history  should  cause  every  sensi- 
tive Christian  to  recoil!  how  their  verbiage  should  make 
thinking  Christians  ashamed;  and  how  their  grandiloquent 
vagaries  put  to  blush  and  to  flight — give  the  world  its  way 
— such  simple  Scripture  sentences  as  these:  that  God's 
Son  was  "of  the  seed  of  David,  according  to  the  flesh;"  (it 
would  not  require  an  inspired  revelation  to  inform  us  that 
of  simply  David's  son;)  that  He  was  "put  to  death  in  the 


128  .     DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.        [part  ir. 

flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit"  (1  Pet.  iii.  18);  "who 
in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  when  He  had  offered  up  prayers 
and  supplications  with  strong  crying  and  tears  unto  Him 
who  was  able  to  save  Him  from  death,  (not  from  dying,) 
and  was  heard  in  that  He  feared"  (Heb.  v.  7);  '"being  made 
perfect  through  sufferings"  (ver.  8,  9;  ch.  ii.  10);  that, 
"the  first  man- Adam  was  made  a  living  soul;  the  last  Adam 
was  made  a  quickening  spirit.  Howbeit  that  zvas  not  first, 
which  is  spiritual,  but  that  which  is  natural;  and  after- 
zvard  that  which  is  spiritual"  (1  Cor.  xv.  45,  46). 

When  we  allow  the  Scriptures  their  simple,  natural 
sense,  the  great  mystery  that  "Mystery,  Babylon  the 
Great,"  has  thrown  around  the  mythical  "incarnation" 
theory  vanishes  like  the  morning  dew.  Until  it  can  be 
shown  that  there  can  be  vision  without  the  eye,  hearing 
without  the  ear,  sensation  without  the  organs  of  sense, 
thought  without  the  brain,  organs  in  man  which  the  Al- 
mighty Himself  originally  devised  and  created,  it  is  use- 
less to  continue  assuming  the  mentality  or  intellectuality 
of  spirit,  with  the  philosophers  of  heathendom.  This  is 
the  primal  error  of  all  the  false  theologies  of  the  world. 

Jesus  did  not  "assume"  flesh,  as  Trinitarians  say:  hu- 
man flesh  could  accomplish  nothing  for  an  immortal,  im- 
mutable, sentient  spirit;  but  the  inanimate  Word  of  God 
(the  logos)  was  made  flesh;  and  that  was  the  miracle.  Jcsiis 
was  divinely  (gcnnao)  "begotten,"  but  humanly  (gennao) 
"conceived,"  develoiJed  and  brought  forth.  "In  the  be- 
ginning was  the  Word" — the  logos,  ("a 
The  Creative  speaking,  spcech,  utterance,")— not  a  sen- 
ijosom.  tient    spirit    being.     Our    translators    in 

John  i.  3,  4,  in  the  interests  of  preexist- 
entism  and  creeds,  have  personified  the  logos  by  rendering 
autos,  (manifestly  it  when  applied  to  the  Word,)  "Hinif 
and  are  followed  by  the  Revisers.     Autos  in  these  verses 


CHAP.  VIII.]        TO  THE  CHURCH  IN  THYATIRA.  1 29 

is  rendered  it  by  Tyndale,  Coverdale,  Cranmer,  Badius, 
Wakefield,  Thompson,  Dickerson,  Baker,  Taylor,  Folsom, 
Sharpe,  Campbell  and  the  Emphatic  Diagiott.  The  first 
thing  in  the  act  of  creating  was  to  speak.  God  said,  "Let 
there  be  light;  and  there  was  light."  "By  the  Word  of 
the  Lord  were  the  Heavens  made;  and  all  the  hosts  of 
them  by  the  breath  of  His  mouth.  *  *  *  Yov  He  spake 
and  it  was  done;  He  cmnmanded  and  it  stood  fast"  (Psa. 
xxxiii.  6,  9).  "The  Word  of  God  is  quick  and  powerful, 
and  sharper  than  any  twoedged  sword,  *  >!=  *  and  is  a 
discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart"  (Heb. 
iv.  12).  "That  which  was  from  the  beginning,"  says  John, 
"which  we  have  heard,  which  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes, 
[because  made  fiesh],  which  our  hands  have  handled  of 
the  Word  of  life;  for  the  life  [promised  in  Eden — a  living 
seed]  was  manifested  and  we  have  seen  it,  and  bear  wit- 
ness, and  show  unto  you  that  eternal  life,  which  was  with 
the  Father,  and  was  manifested  unto  us,"  i.  e.,  in  Jesus 
(1st  Epis.  i.  1,  3).  "In  hope  of  eternal  life,"  said  Paul, 
"which  God,  who  cannot  lie,  promised  before  the  world 
began;  but  hath  in  due  time  manifested  His  Word  (logos) 
[of  promise]  through  preaching,"  etc.  (Tit.  i.  1-3).  That 
Jesus  did  not  assist  God  in  the  creation  of  the  world  is 
manifest,  (1)  because  the  "seed  of  the  woman"  and  the 

"second  Adam"  could  not  precede  our  first 
God  Alone  parcuts;  (2)  because  the  Holy  Spirit  every 

Created  tiie  where  dcclarcs  that  God  created  all  things; 
World.  {Gen.  i.  1;  ii.  1-4;  Psa.  xxxiii.  6,  9;  cii.  25; 

cxlvi.  6;)  personally,  "alone,"  by  Himself. 
(Isa.  xlii.  5,  6;  xliv.  24;  xlv.  12,  18.  Also,  Jer.  x.  10,  12; 
li.  14,  15;  Heb.  i.  10;  iii.  4.)  Our  Trinitarian  translators 
have  erred  seriously  in  several  New  Testament  passages  in 
favor  of  preexistentism. 

The  passage  in  Hebrews  i.  2,  does  not  refer  to  the 


130  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.        [part  II. 

creation:  the  word  is  aionas,  ages,  not  ge  nor  kosmos.  The 
Emphatic  Diaglott  renders  it,  "On  account  of  whom  also 
He  constituted  the  ages."  The  phrase  "by  Jesus  Christ," 
in  Ephesians  iii.  9,  is  an  inter poLation,  now  rejected  by  all 
authorities.  Col.  i.  16,  17,  when  carefully  read,  has  God, 
not  Christ,  the  antecedent  of  "Him."  1  Cor.  viii.  6,  first 
clause,  is  clear;  the  second  has  dia,  through,  not  hy  Christ 
— through  the  Word,  in  harmony  with  the  above  testi- 
mony. Through  is  the  only  proper  rendering  of  dia  also 
in  John  i.  3,  7,  10,  17  (twice).  In  this  tenth  verse  there 
is  an  ellipsis  in  the  original  which  any  careful,  unbiased 
reader  might  fill  correctly.  Our  translators  have  put  in 
the  word  "made" — "the  world  was  made  by  Him"  (Jesus)! 
This  makes  a  square  contradiction  of  all  those  passages 
which  declare  that  God  made  the  world.  If  they  had  ren- 
dered dia  and  aufos  correctly,  the  contradiction  could 
be  avoided  by  understanding  that  John 
•'*-^"^  meant  as  the  Psalmist  says,  "through  it," 

Eniigiitenert        "^j^^g  Word" — before  it  became  flesh.   But 
the  World.  -(-j^g  entire  subject,  from  the  fifth  verse  to 

the  tenth,  is  "the  light,"  the  light.  And 
thus  the  Diaglott  renders  verses  9  and  10:  "The  true  light 
was  that  which,  coming  into  the  world,  enlightens  every 
man.  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  {enlightened) 
by  Him;  and  yet  the  world  knew  Him  not."  The  "world" 
here  does  not  mean  the  globe,  needing  nature's  light,  but 
the  inhabitants,  needing  spiritual  enlightenment,  the  same 
as  in  John  viii.  12;  iii.  16,  17. 

I  am  impressed  that  the  Word  of  God  warrants  the 
serious  charge  of  "a  kind  of  blasphemy,"  made  by  some 
during  the  age  of  the  great  councils,  against  any  effort  to 
distinguish  between  the  Son  of  man  and  the  Son  of  God, 
by  attributing  personality  to  the  divine  Word  {logos)  be- 
fore it  became  flesh — an  organized  being.     I  submit  to 


CHAP.  VIII.]        TO   THE   CHURCH    IN   THYATIRA.  13I 

candid  thought,  that  the  wonderful  "incarnation"  is  only- 
wonderful  as  all  God's  acts  are  so,  and  that  it  has  not  the 
pretended  Trinitarian  complexity  of  two  "conjoined"  na- 
tures. Over  such  an  imagination,  the  Eoman  Councils 
discoursed  and  descanted,  bickered  and  contended,  ad 
nauseam.  They  lauded  to  the  skies  its  surmised  "mystery," 
and  mystified  to  infinity  its  native  Scriptural  simplicity 
(which,  in  fact,  they  despised  as  the  Jews  did  Jesus'  un- 
assuming person).  For  wherein,  after  all,  was  the  actua- 
tion of  God's  "Word  any  more  wonderful  than  that  of  Jesus' 
word  (logos)  during  His  ministry  and  miracle  working?  by 
which,  I  mean,  as  the  lexicons  define  the  term,  primarily, 
His  "word  as  uttered  by  the  living  voice,  a  speaking, 
speech,  utterance."  (Eobinson.)  For  when  Jesus  spake, 
also,  "it  was  done,"  as  at  the  beginning.    For,  behold! — 

His  wouderful  word  at  the  feast  made  the  waters  bhish  ; 
His  "  Peace  !    Be  still !  "    iu  the  ship  caused  the  tempest  to  hush  ; 
His  loud  "  Come  forth  "  at  the  tomb  gave  e'en  corruption  life — 
But  Li/e  Divine!     Ah!     He  bowed  His  dear  head  in  that  strife; 
He  died—i\\e  Christ  died  ! — but  jov  !     He  revived,  as  He  said, 
"I  will  rise  the  third  day  !  " — for  this  logos  ccas  not  dead ! 

The  Word  of  God  and  the  Word  of  Christ  alike  are  liv- 
ing or  life-giving  words.  The  birth  of  Jesus,  and  the  resur- 
rection of  Lazarus  and  others,  are  miracles  of  the  same 
order.  And  wonderful  as  was  the  plan  of  a  virginal  con- 
ception, it  was  not  that  astounding  mystery  that  the  creeds 
would  make  it;  but  a  simple  miracle  of  the  divine  logos — 
a  plain  actuation  of  the  living  Word  of  God  pledged  to 
our  first  parents,  fallen,  and  renewed  in  the  oaths  of  God 
to  the  patriarchal  fathers,  Abraham  and 
Divine  David,  that  there  should  rise  to  the  race, 

Manhood  of        jj^  their  family  line,  a  divine  seed  that 
Christ.  should    bless    "all    the    families    of    the 

earth."  And  yet,  it  will  be  seen,  the  origin 
of  this  seed  cannot  be  wholly  of  the  race,  since  every  indi- 


132  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.        [part  il. 

vidiial  of  it  (in  direct  line)  is  tainted,  and  every  life  for- 
feited, in  the  sin  of  the  first  progenitors.  Life  inheres  in 
the  male  parent:  the  coming  One,  in  blessing  all  the 
families  of  the  earth,  mnst  be  a  righteous  mediator  be- 
tween God  the  aggrieved  and  man  the  aggrieving  parties; 
and  a  mediator  must  be  equally  related  to  the  parties  at 
variance.  Therefore,  as  I  have  before  said,  a  new  divine- 
human  seed  must  be  produced,  and  was,  through  the  agency 
of  the  Holy  Spirit — the  "power  of  the  Highest"  over- 
shadowing a  virgin:  the  life  coming  "down  from"  God, 
and  not  down  from  Adam,  even  as  the  first  Adam's  life 
had  come  directly  from  God;  while  the  indispensable  flesh 
which  clothed  it  ivas  from  Adam  and  not  from  the  dust. 
This  was  the  plan  of  wonderful  love:  this  was  the  Scrip- 
tural and  original  faith.  "Justin  Martyr  informs  us 
(Hasse.  Hist.  Chris.  Church,  98)  that  in  his  day  (a.  d. 
140)  it  was  not  regarded  as  inconsistent  with  Christianity 
to  hold  that  Christ  was  a  mere  man."  {Recast  Cred.  Script., 
Vol.  II.,  p.  53.)  Now  by  this,  they  did  not  mean  "a  mere 
man"  in  the  sense  of  a  sinful  man,  since  the  fall;  but  as  the 
'"first  Adam"  was,  before  the  fall;  for  God  pronounced 
him,  not  simply  good,  but  "very  good,"  as  he  came  fresh 
from  the  plastic  dust,  and  the  divine  creative  hand.  There 
was  equal  sonship  in  the  created  first  Adam  (Luke  iii.  38) 
and  the  begotten  "second  Adam"  (1  Cor.  xv.  45-49),  with 
no  known  Scriptural  difference  but  circumstance  and  en- 
vironment. "Turtullian  (a.  d.  192),"  the  quotation  con- 
tinues, "reluctantly  testifies  that  in  his  vicinity  this  was 
the  common  sentiment."  {lb.)  It  certainly  is  the  plain 
sentiment  of  the  Scriptures;  and  it  would  have  been  good 
for  the  Church  if  "scholastic  philosophy"  had  not  come 
in  to  cover  it  up  with  a  garment  of  mysticism.  "It  would 
be  useless,"  continues  the  author,  "to  multiply  authorities 
establishing  the  great  influence  that  Platonism  exerted 


CHAP.  VIII.]      TO   THE    CHURCH    IN   THYATIRA.  1 33 

on  the  primitive  Church.  Even  so  late  as  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, St.  Augustine  acknowledged  that  after  he  had  re- 
nounced Manicheism,  that  he  regarded  Christ  to  have  been 
a  mere  man  until  after  he  hod  read  certain  Platonic  writers. 
See  Lardner,  Credit.  Gospels,  iii.,  440." — lb.,  p.  21 

There  is  a  principle  in  divine  revelation  which  was 
not  recognized  by  those  medieval  Councilmen  in  dealing 

with  the  Christology  of  the  Bible;  and 
A  Principle  modcm  Trinitarians  have  failed  to  dis- 
unrecogrnized.     eovcr,  at  Icast  to   corrcct,  their  mistake 

and  learn  the  truth — nor  can  they  learn  it 
till  they  do.  I  speak  not  hastily  and  inconsiderately,  but 
confidently,  and  with  the  greatest  solicitude  for  both  the 
truih  and  the  Church.  The  Apostle  Paul  announces  the 
principle  I  refer  to,  in  Eomans  iv.  17;  notice  it  carefully. 
God  had  said  to  Abraham  2,000  years  before  Christ,  "A 
father  of  many  nations  haz'c  I  made  thee"  (Gen.  xvii.  5), 
when  as  yet  he  had  no  child;  and  when  it  was  through 
Christ  that  Abraham  was  to  obtain  the  fruition  of  the 
promise;  and  this  was  the  inspired  explanation:  'Mjefore  him 
whom  he  believed,  even  God,  who  quickeneth  the  dead, 
and  callcth  those  things  wJiich  be  not  as  though  they  icf/r." 
That  is,  whatever  God  speaks,  promises,  or  designs  to  be, 
is  to  be  considered  from  that  moment  as  an  accomplish- 
ment, as  surely  as  though  it  were  already  a  demonstrable 
fact — a  living  actuality.     And  the  language  of  Scripture 

frequently  assumes  this  principle,  and  en- 
imitortunce  of  couragcs  tliis  faith.  For  instance:  seven 
tiie  Prophetic  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Jesus, 
Sense.  Isaiah  said:     "Unto  us  a  child  is  born, 

unto  us  a  son  is  given"  (ch.  ix.  6).  One 
thousand  years  before  the  ascension,  David  wrote:  "Thou 
hast  ascended  on  high;  Thou  hast  led  captivity  captive; 
Thou  hast  received  gifts  for  men"  (Psa.  Ixviii.  18).     And 


134  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.       [part  i  i 

Jesus  likewise  said  to  the  Sadducees  who  denied  a  future 
resurrection:  "Now  that  the  dead  are  [shall  he]  raised, 
even  Moses  showed  at  the  bush,  when  he  calleth  the  Lord 
the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God 
of  Jacob.  Far  He  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  hut  of  the 
living."  Not  that  they  are  not  dead;  for  that  sense  would 
entirely  thwart  His  purpose  to  prove  to  the  Sadducees  a 
resurrection;  but  that,  as  He  said,  continuing,  they  "all 
live  unto  Him"  (Luke  xx.  37,  38),  i.  e.,  prospectively.  It 
is  in  His  plan,  prophetically;  and  they  zvill  therefore  live 
again.  This  is  plainly  the  prophetic  sense  of  such  expres- 
sions, and  very  important  to  understand.  It  is  this  same 
prophetic  import,  so  seldom  recognized,  that  characterizes 
the  so-called  preexistent  texts;  as  Jesus'  statement  to  the 
Jews  (John  viii.  55-58):  "Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced 
to  see  My  day;  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad."  The  Jews, 
quite  misunderstanding  His  meaning,  replied,  "Thou  art 

not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  hast  Thou  seen 
How  Abraiiitm  Abraham?"  Jesus  did  not  say  He  had  seen 
Saw  ciirisst.         Abraham:  He  was  not  claiming  great  age, 

but  divine  and  prophetic  origin,  (which 
is  very  far  above  the  ^cope  of  the  age  question;)  and  He 
answered  with  characteristic  preciseness  and  wisdom:  "Be- 
fore Abraham  was,  /  am,"  not  I  vuas.  I  am  the  prophetic 
seed  foreknown  and  foretold  in  Eden,  2,000  years  before 
Abraham  was  born.  Abraham  had  the  spirit  of  prophecy, 
and  recognized  the  divine  arrangement  in  the  coming 
"seed"  that  should  bless  "all  the  nations  of  the  earth." 
(Gen.  xxii.  12-18.)  '  The  same  thought  is  in  Jesus'  prayer: 
"0  Father,  glorify  Thou  Me  with  *  *  *  the  glory  which 
I  had  with  Thee  before  the  world  was"  (John  xvii.  5). 
Jesus  had  this  glory,  not  in  the  absolute,  or  personally,  but 
prophetically;  for  He  did  not  live  then  only  in  the  pur- 
pose or  mind  and  promise  of  God.     The  same  is  true  of 


CHAP   VIII.]      TO   THE    CHURCH    IN   THYATIRA.  13^ 

every  Christian  (in  an  inferior  degree):  said  Paul,  "ac- 
cording as  He  hath  chosen  its  in  Him  before  the  foundation 
of  the  zvorld,  that  we  should  be  holy  and  without  blame 
before  Him  in  love"  (Eph.  i.  4).  "With  the  precious  blood 
of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  withoiTt  spot: 
Who  verily  was  (proginosko)  foreknozvn  before  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world,  but  was  manifested  in  these  last  times 
for  you"  (1  Pet.  i.  19,  20).  Other  passages  might  be  cited, 
were  it  desirable  to  multiply  them;  but  the  principle  is 
Scripturally  establisiied;  and  the  reader  can  verify  it  at 
pleasure.  And  thus  "the  Creeds  of  Christendom"  are  ar- 
raigned before  the  bar  of  divine  revelation,  under  the 
charges  of  adding  to,  taking  from,  and  perverting,  the 
Word  of  God.  Jezebel  and  her  children  of  Thyatira  are 
identified  through  "the  orthodox  Christology  of  our  days," 
and  they  stand  indicted  under  the  charges  of  spiritual 
adultery  with  kings  and  world-powers;  and  of  eating 
"things  sacrificed  unto  idols," — harmonizing  with  heathen 
philosophers,  and  saying,  not,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,"  but, 
"Plato,  thou  reasonest  well!"  How  can  they  answer,  "not 
guilty?" 

The  Lord  Says  :  "I gave  her  space  to  repent." 
— "Time  so  that  she  might  repent"  {Emphatic  Diaglott). 
How  long  a  space  of  time  was  given  the  false  teachers  for 
repentance?  It  is  not  specially  mentioned 
The  i,26o  ^^  ^]-^^g  mcssagc,  but  is  clearly  foreshad- 

Years'  Period,  q^^q^  jj^  the  type,  as  1,260  ycars  in  dura- 
tion, as  we  saw  (page  101).  This  period  is 
given  in  some  definite  symbolic  form  five  times  in  Eeve- 
lation  (xi.  2,  3;  xii.  6,  14;  xiii.  5),  and  twice  in  Daniel 
(ch.  vii.  25;  xii.  7).  We  will  consider  the  different  forms  as 
we  meet  them. 

"Behold,  I  will  cast  her  into  abed." — That  is 
a  bed  of  pain,  affliction  and  helplessness.    Her  adulteries 


136  DIVINE   KEY    OP  THE   REVELATION.        [part  11. 

must  be  made  manifest,  to  her  shame;  and  her  sins  must 
be  requited  with  languishing  and  sorrow,  according  to  the 
Word  of  the  Lord,  until  her  end  is  reached  in  death;  for 
she  "shall  not  come  down  from  that  bed,"  as  was  said  by 
Elijah  to  Ahaziah,  the  son  and  successor  of  Ahab  and 
Jezebel,  both  in  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and  in  the  worship 
of  Baal.  It  is  Jezebel's  death-bed.  Her  judgments  and 
languishing  will  be  detailed  as  we  go  on  in  the  prophecy. 
"And  them  that  commit  adultery  with  her." 
—These  are  kings  and  rulers.  All  her  adulteries  are  said 
to  have  been  "with  the  kings  of  the  earth."  She  lusted 
after  power.  She  had  lost  the  love  and  the  power  of 
Christ;  and  held  the  hateful  Nicolaitan  doctrine  of  con- 
quering subjects,  not  with  the  Gospel  power  of  love,  but 
with  the  carnal  power  of  the  State. 

"Into  great  tribultion,  except  they  repent 
of  their  deeds."— The  history  of  Catholic  kings  has 
shown  no  repentance,  and  the  "tribulation"  came  upon 
all  kings  and  princes  who  used  their  power  and  influence 
in  the  conquest  of  honest  thought  and  liberty  of  con- 
science. The  history  will  be  further  detailed  when  we 
reach  the  judgments  and  poured-out  plagues  of  Jezebel's 
bed-ridden  period — "the  time  of  the  end;"  but  one  extract 
of  a  premonitory  nature,  and  of  general  application,  from 
McCabe,  will  suffice  here: — 

"The  treaty  of  Wesphalia  [a.d.  164S]   was  the  first  effort  to 
reconstruct  the  European  system  of  states  by 
Premonitory  diplomacy.     It  was  fatal  to  the  empire,  which 

Judgments  frorp    this    time    existed  in   Germany  only  in 

on  the  Empire.  name.  Instead  of  the  compact  realm  which 
Ferdinand  II.  had  hoped  to  establish,  Germany 
was  spin  up  into  several  hundred  pettj'  sovereignties,  each  with 
all  the  distinctive  machineiy  of  a  separate  State,  and  bound  to- 
gether in  a  nominal  confederacy,  with  scarceh'  a  shadow  of  national 
feeling.  The  international  authority  of  the  emperor  was  at  an  end. 
The  power  to  conclude  peace  or  war,  to  build  fortifications,  to  raise 


CHAP.  VIII.]       TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  1 37 

armies  or  to  levy  contributions  for  their  support,  was  taken  from 
him  and  conferred  upon  the  diet,  which  was  composed  of  the  en- 
voys of  the  princes  of  Germany  and  the  representatives  of  fifty- 
three  free  cities.  *  *  *  Germany  emerged  from  the  Thirty  Years' 
War  in  a  terribly  crippled  condition.  Between  one-half  and  two- 
thirds  of  the  German  people  perished  during  the  struggle.  *  *  * 
No  part  of  Europe  has  ever  suffered  so  terribly." — Hist,  of  the 
World,  p.  570- 

What  a  change  for  Germany  and  Jezebel  from  the 
time  when  Luther  confronted  Charles  V.  and  all  the  satel- 
lites of  the  pope,  a  century  and  a  quarter  before,  in  the 
Diet  at  Worms.  The  living  Word  had  wrought  its  judg- 
ments, in  its  conflict  with  tradition. 

"And  I  will  kill  her  children." — As  Jezebel  is  a 
symbolic  mother,  so  her  children  are  such  symbolically. 
That  is,  they  are  all  those  State-Church  and  politico-Chris- 
tian institutions  which  imitate  her  Nicolaitan  example, 
and,  particularly,  which  teach  her  doctrines.  They  are 
children  by  choice,  and  justly  punishable  with  the  old 
mother. 

"  With  death."— What  is  it  to  kill  with  death  ?  If 
the  reader  has  well  in  mind  what  was  said  of  the  "second 
death,"  this  figure  will  not  be  difficult.  It  was  shown  that 
not  to  be  "Jiurf  of  death  is  to  have  its  "sting"  (which  is 
sin)  withdrawn  by  pardon  in  this  life;  and  the  "strength 
of  sin"  (which  is  the  law)  ended  in  Christ;  so  that  there  is 
said  to  be  a  life  hidden  "with  Christ  in  God;"  in  other 
words,  the  resurrection  from  death,  and  the  appearing 
with  Christ  in  second  advent  glory,  is  pledged  to  the  par- 
doned penitent.  But  the  "children,"  like  the  "mother," 
as  systems  are  false  to  Christ  in  spirit  and  in  doctrines, 
therefore  composed  of  individuals  out  of  Christ,  who  are 
impenitent  and  unpardoned,  having  no  life  in  Christ,  and 
no  resurrection  pledge;  and  when  dead  are  killed  "with 
death,"  and  are  dead  forever;  or  past  hope:  "twice  dead, 


138  DIVINE  KEY  OP  THE  REVEI.ATION.        [part  ii. 

plucked  up  by  the  roots."  (Jiide  12.)  Having  been  given 
over  to  reprobacy.  (Eomans  i.  24,  28.)  It  was  so  with 
the  fathers  who  ate  manna  in  the  wilderness,  and  yet  lusted 
for  the  melons  and  leeks  of  Egypt.  It  was  not  the  manna 
of  faith  to  them,  and  they  ''are  dead"' — killed  "with  death" 
in  the  wilderness  experience.  (Comp.  Num.  xi.  and  John 
vi.  47-54;  xi.  11-14;  Matt.  ix.  24;  x.  28,  etc.) 

"And  all  the  churches  shall  know." — The  re- 
maining dispensations — Sardis,  Philadelphia,  and  Lao- 
dicea — shall  have  before  them  the  evidences  of  God's  right- 
eous judgments  upon  the  children  of  that  woman  Jezebel, 
who  is  suffered  to  teach,  and  know  that  each  will  be  chas- 
tened or  rewarded  according  to  their  works.  "But  unto 
you  I  say,  and  unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira, — 

"As  many  as  have  hot  this  doctrine." — This 
statement  shows  that  there  were  some  who  were  not  cor- 
rupted with  the  unscriptural  teachings  of  "the  Church," 
as  Jezebel  styled  herself,  but  held  to  the  Word  in  spirit 
and  letter  in  her  day;  and  it  would  be  strange,  indeed,  if 
there  were  none  to  challenge  those  errors  still:  all  which 
shows  the  importance  to  every  Christian  to  recognize  "this 
doctrine"  by  whomsoever  propagated.  It  is  the  same  to- 
day as  when  first  taught,  as  we  have  seen. 

"And  have  not  known  the  depths  of  Satan, 
as  they  speak." — Depths  {to7i  satana)  of  the  adversary 
indicates  studied  iniquity  in  opposition.  God  holds  false 
teachers  as  adversaries  worthy  of  judgment  (Matt.  v.  19). 
They  "wrest  the  Scriptures,"  said  the  Apostle,  "to  their 
own  destruction"  (2  Pet.  iii.  16) — "handling  the  Word  of 
God  deceitfully."  For  with  the  Gospel,  God  gave  the 
world  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  guide,  helper  and  teacher;  and 
He  holds  all  other  teachers  responsible  if  they  do  not  ac- 
cept its  help  and  its  teaching.  And,  relative  to  the  cer- 
tainty of  its  help,  Jesus  says,  "He  that  followeth  ME,"  not 


CHAP.  VIII.]       TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  139 

"the  Church,"  nor  the  Councils  of  men,  but  ''me,"  "shall 
not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life" 
(John  viii.  12).  "My  doctrine  is  not  Mine,  but  His  who 
sent  Me.  If  any  man  will  do  His  zuill,  he  shall  knozv  of 
the  doctrine,  whether  it  is  of  God  or  whether  I  speak  of 
Myself"'  (John  vii.  IG,  17).  How  do  the  Scriptures  speak 
concerning  the  nature  of  Christ,  of  man,  of  death,  and  of 
rewards  and  punishment?  And  how  do  "they  speak" 
whom  the  text  terms  adversaries?  We  have  only  to  read 
the  Scriptures,  and  the  creeds  and  deliverances  of  the  so- 
called  orthodox  Councils,  to  find  the  answer.  Let  no  one 
neglect  to  examine  for  himself,  or  herself,  that  each  may 
"know  of  the  doctrine."  For  there  is  danger  in  Eomish 
or  "orthodox"  error,  as  much  now  as  then.  Of  such  as 
had  it  not.  He  says, — 

"I  will  put  upon  you  none  other  burden." — 
Namely,  than  that  which  you,  faithful  Thyatirians,  already 
bear  in  connection  with  your  condition  and  surroundings 
— driven  to  the  mountains  like  felons,  and  slaughtered 
in  the  valleys  like  sheep.  But  here  is  the  great  command- 
ment and  the  bow  of  promise  to  them: — 

"  But  that  which  ye  have  hold  fast  till  I  come." 
— Till  the  close  of  your  period  and  trial,  and  I  come  with 
the  overcomer's  blessing,  and  the  message  to  Sardis.  The 
general  apostasy  is  so  extensive,  and  the  changes  during 
the  long  Thyatirian  period  so  great,  that  it  is  necessary 
to  characterize  the  Church  anew,  and  assume  a  new  rela- 
tion to  it  through  a  new — the  fifth — message.  "He  that 
overcometh,  and  keepeth  My  works  unto  the  end,"  He 
continues, — 

"To  him  will  I  give  power  over  the  nations." 
— The  overcomers  of  this  period,  though  a  comparatively 
small  company,  were  the  projectors  of  the  Protestant 
Reformation.     Representative  among  them  were  Luther, 


140  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVEL,ATlON.        [part  11. 

Melancthon,  Zwinglius,  Wishart  "the  Martyr,"  etc.  Not 
that  these  workers  for  Christ  and  opposers  of  Jezebel  were 
correct  in  all  their  teachings,  as  no  mortals  are,  but  they 
acknozvlcdgcd  the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  and  their 
sole  authority  in  matters  of  faith.  They  refused  to  suffer 
that  woman  Jezebel  to  teach,  and  made  a  vigorous  warfare 
on  her  teachings.  The  religious  liberty  of  the  world  to- 
day, the  Bible  the  freed  Book  it  is,  every  man  worshiping 
God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience  under  his 
own  vine  and  fig  tree,  is  but  the  echo  down  the  centuries 
of  the  godly  protests  of  those  Christian  heroes.  Did  they 
receive  power  over  the  Catholic  nations?  The  click  of 
Luther's  hammer,  on  the  31st  of  October,  1517,  as  he 
nailed  his  ninety-five  propositions  to  the  door  of  the 
Palace  Church,  at  Wittenberg,  announced  the  early  dawn 
of  such  an  emancipation  for  the  Church.  Power  over  the 
nations  soon  began  to  revert  from  the  pope  and  priests  to 
the  people,  to  demand,  receive  and  exercise  the  natural 
rights  of  conscience  in  religion;  and  this  confidence  to 
claim,  and  providence  to  receive,  has  never  ceased  nor 
waned,  in  its  onward  march  toward  universal  toleration, 
to  our  own  day.      > 

June  26th,  a.  d.  1520,  Luther  wrote  an  "Address  to 
the  Christian  Nobility  of  the  German  Nation,  on  the  Eef- 
ormation  of  Christendom  and  the  Babylonian  Captivity 
of  the  Church."  In  August  he  published  his  address  "To 
the  Christian  Nobles  of  the  German  Empire,"  both  in 
Latin  and  in  German,  urging  the  superiority  of  the  secular 
over  the  so-called  "spiritual  arm." 

The   pope's   bull   of   excommunication   appeared   in 

September.  In  December,  on  the  bmks 
Lntiier  Burns  Qf  ^hc  Elbe,  in  the  prcscuce  of  the  pro- 
tiie  Pope's  Bnii.  fessors  and  students  of  the  Wittenberg 

University,  Luther  burned  both  the  bull 
and  the  books  of  Canon  Law.     On  the  following  April, 


CHAP.VIII.]        TO   THE   CHURCH    IN   THYATIRA,  141 

(1521,)  Charles  V.,  the  greatest  emperor,  and  most  bigoted 
Eomanist  since  Charlemagne,  always  counseling  "to  pre- 
serve the  Catholic  faith,  and  to  show  no  quarter  to  here- 
tics," summoned  Luther  before  the  Imperial  Diet  at 
Worms.  Though  incurring  the  risk  of  being  led  to  the 
stake  like  Huss  a  century  before,  that  great  Eeformer, 
said:  "Had  I  known  that  there  would  be 
Luther  and  the  ^g  ij^m^y  devils  at  Womis  as  there  are  tiles 

Diet  at  Worms,    ^^p^^    ^^q    hoUSC-topS,    stlll    I    should    joy- 

fully  have  plunged  in  among  them. 
Though  they  burned  Huss,  they  could  not  burn  the  truth." 
Standing  with  the  firmness  of  a  martyr  in  the  presence 
of  Charles  V.,  the  electors,  archbishops,  bishops  and  no- 
bility of  the  empire,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Archbishop  of 
Treves  addressed  him  thus:  "Martin  Luther,  his  sacred 
and  invincible  Majesty  has  cited  you  before  his  throne, 
acting  on  the  opinions  and  advice  of  the  States  of  the 
Holy  Eoman  Empire,  to  answer  these  questions:  First: 
Do  you  acknowledge  these  writings  to  have  been  composed 
by  you?  Secondly:  Are  you  prepared  to  retract  them, 
and  the  propositions  contained  therein,  or  do  you  persist 
in  what  you  have  therein  advanced?"  Luther  frankly  ac- 
knowledged the  authorship  of  his  books,  and  made  his 
great  defense  which  shook  the  whole  empire  of  Jezebel- 
ism.  God  was  with  him  as  he  stood  before  the  august 
assembly,  firm  as  a  rock,  yet  calm  as  a  Christian,  his 
countenance  glowing  with  the  light  and  peace  of  Heaven. 
These  were  his  closing  words:  "/  am  bound  by  the  Scrip- 
tures zuhich  I  have  quoted;  my  eonscience  is  submissive  to 
the  Word  of  God;  therefore  I  may  not,  and  zvill  not,  reeant, 
because  to  act  against  conscience  is  unholy  and  unsafe.  God, 
help  me!  Amen."  The  evident  Providence  that  attended 
Luther  and  his  colaborers  in  all  this  is  beautifully  set  forth 
by  D'Aubigne: — 


142  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  li. 

"  The  clouds  were  gathering  over  Luther  and  the  Reformation. 
The  appeal  to  a  General  Council  was  a  new  at- 
The  Lelpslc  tack  ou  papal  authority.     A  Bull  of  Pius  II.  had 

Discussion,  pronounced      the     greater      excommunication 

A.D.  1519.  against  any  one,  even  though  it  should  be  the 

emperor  himself,  who  should  be  guilty  of  a 
rejection  of  the  '  Holy  Father's  '  authority.  Frederick  of  Saxony, 
scarcely  yet  well  established  in  the  evangelic  doctrine,  was  on  the 
point  of  banishing  Luther  from  his  States.  A  second  message 
from  Leo  X.  would,  in  that  case,  have  thrown  the  Reformer  among 
strangers,  who  might  fear  to  compromise  their  own  security  by 
harboring  a  monk  whom  Rome  had  anathematized.  And  even  if 
one  of  the  German  nobles  had  taken  up  arms  in  his  defense,  such 
poor  knights,  looked  down  upon  with  contempt  by  the  powerful 
sovereigns  of  Germany,  must  ere  long  have  sunk  in  the  hazardous 
enterprise.  But  at  the  moment  ivhen  all  his  courtiers  were  urging 
Leo  to  rigorous  measures,  when  another  blow  would  have  laid  his 
enemy  at  his  feet,  that  pope  suddenly  changed  his  course  and 
MADE  OVERTURES  OF  CONCILIATION." — Hist.  Reformation,  Vol. 
II.,  Book  V. 

Speaking  of  the  Eoman  bull  of  1520,  D'Aubigne  con- 
tinues:— 

"A  new  actor  was  about  to  appear  on  the  stage.     It  was ///^ 
will  of  God  that  the  Monk  of  Wittenberg  should 
Charles  V.  be  brought  face  to  face  with  the  most  powerful 

monarch  who  had  appeared  in  Christendom 
since  the  days  of  Charlemagne.  He  made  choice  of  a  prince,  in 
the  vigor  of  youth,  to  whom  everything  promised  a  reign  of  long 
duration,  a  prince  whose  sceptre  bore  sway  over  a  considerable 
part  of  the  old  and  also  over  a  new  world,  so  that,  according  to  a 
celebrated  saying,  the  sun  never  set  upon  his  vast  domains  ;  and 
with  this  prince  he  confronted  the  humble  Reformation  that  had 
had  its  beginning  in  the  secret  cell  of  a  convent  at  Erfurth,  in  the 
anguish  and  groans  of  a  poor  monk. 

"The  history  of  this  monarch,  and  of  his  reign,  was  destined, 
apparently,  to  read  au  important  lesson  to  the  world.  It  was  to 
show  the  nothingness  of  all  'the  strength  of  man,'  when  it  pre- 
sumes to  strive  against  'the  weakness  of  God.'  Had  a  prince 
friendly  to  Luther  been  called  to  the  empire,  the  success  of  the 
Reformation  might  have  been  attributed  to  his  protection.  Had 
an  emperor  of  feeble  character  filled  the  throne — even  though  he 


CHAP.  VIII.]       TO  THE   CHURCH   IN  THYATIRA.  143 

should  have  beeu  opposed  to  the  new  doctrine — the  success  that 
attended  it  might  have  admitted  of  explanation  by  the  weakness 
of  tlie  reigning  sovereign.  But  it  was  the  haughty  conqueror  of 
Pavia  whose  pride  was  to  be  humbled  be/ore  the  power  0/  the  divine 
Word;  and  the  whole  world  was  called  to  7uitness  that  he  to  whom 
power  was  given  to  lead  Francis  I.  to  the  dungeons  0/ Madrid  was 
compelled  to  lay  down  his  sword  before  the  son  of  a  poor  tninery 
—lb..  Book  VI. 

"God  arrests  the  billows  on  the  shore/'  said  Luther, 
•^'and  He  does  so  with  the  sand." 

Failing  entirely  to  enforce  the  decree  of  the  Diet  at 
Worms  against  Luther,  the  new  Diet  at  Spires  early  in 
1529  resolved  that  the  reformers  should  accept  the  de- 
cision of  a  majority  vote  on  individual  faith,  i.  e.,  "accept 
defeat  wherever  their  adversaries  declared 
Protestant  themselvcs  in  the  ascendent,  and  at  the 

League  (1529).    game  time  to  abjure  all  thought  of  prog- 
ress."    But    the    Northern    princes    and 
dukes,  favorable  to  the  Eeformation,  would  not  for  a  mo- 
ment entertain  the  unreasonable  proposition. 

"These,"  says  Dr.  Peter  Bayne,  "  were  inflexibly  determined 
that  the  decree  of  the  majority  [in  no  way  based  on  the  Scriptures] 
should  not  be  assented  to.  Philip,  Landgrave  of  Hesse,  George  the 
Pious,  Margraf  of  Brandenburg-Anspach,  the  Dukes  of  Lunenburg 
and  Brunswick,  the  prince  of  Anhalt,  and  the  representatives  of 
Strasburg,  Niirnberg,  and  twelve  other  free  cities,  entered  into  a 
solenui  protest  against  the  popish  resolution.  They  were  called 
PROTESTANTS.  The  name,  as  is  customary  with  names  that  felicit- 
ously express  and  embody  facts,  was  caught  iip  in  Germany  and 
passed  into  every  country  in  Europe  and  the  world." — Martin 
Luther,  his  Life  and  Work,  Vol.  II.,  Bk.  XIV.,  Ch.  iv. 

Larned's  History  for  Ready  Reference  thus  speaks  of 
the  incipient  Protestant  cause: — 

"The  Leipsic  disputation  [Dr.  Eck  had  challenged  Carlstadt, 
a  professor  at  L.J  was  preceded  and  followed  by  a  host  of  contro- 
versies. The  whole  mind  of  Germany  was  in  motion,  and  it  was 
no  longer  with  Luther  alone  that  Rome  had  to  contend.  All  the 
celebrated  names  in  art  and  literatiire  sided  with  the  Reformation  ; 


144  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.        [part  ii. 

Erasmus,  Ulric  von  Hutton,  Melancthon,  Lucas  Cranach,  Albert 
Diirer,  and  others." — VoL  IV.,  p.  2449. 

Thus,  wonderfully,  God  gave  the  overcomers  of  Thy- 
atira  "power  over  the  nations."  But  further,  Mr.  Charles 
Hase  says: — 

"The  Holy  League  between  the  Archbishop  of  Mentz,  the 
Archbishop  of  Strasburg,  the  Duke  of  Bavaria, 
The  Holy  Leagne.  George  of  Saxou)',  Henry  of  Brunswick,  Francis 
(1538.)  of  France,  Henry  VIII.  of  England,  and  other 

northern  Powers  was  formed  in  1538  to  stay  the 
papal  persecution  and  protect  the  Reformation." — Church  Hist., 
P-  391- 

It  was  a  long,  hard  struggle,  and  the  "Thirty  Years' 
War"  came  on  at  last,  and  ended  with  the  Peace  of  West- 
phalia (1648),  by  the  terms  of  which — 

"The  emperor  conceded  religious  freedom  in  Germany,  pro- 
claimed a  general  amnesty,  and  acknowledged 
The  Peace  of  the  sovereign  rights  of  the  several  princes  in 

Westphalia.  peace  and  war.     The  Protestants  were  to  retain 

all  the  religious  property  they  had  held  in  1624, 
and  were  to  be  represented  equally  with  Catholics  in  the  Imperial 
Chamber.  *  *  *  The  emperor  was  obliged  to  forbid  the  publica- 
tion in  his  dominions  of  the  bull  of  Pope  Innocent  X.,  which  pro- 
nounced the  treat}'  '  null,  invalid,  iniquitous,  and  void  of  all  power 
and  effect.'  The  necessi^ty  of  peace  was  imperative,  and  the  bull 
zvas  disregarded  by  all  the  Catholic  Powers.''—].  D.  McCabe. 
Hist,  of  the  World,  p.  570. 

Why  did  the  pope  suddenly  change  his  course^  and 
Luther  continue  and  prosper  in  his?  Why  did  ihose 
dukes,  princes  and  powers  unite  to  help  on  the  Keforma- 
tion?  and  why  did  the  Peace  of  Westphatia  restore  equal- 
ity between  Protestant  and  Catholic  in  the  Imperial 
Chamber?  Because  the  overcomers  had  received  the 
promised  power;  and  it  was — 

"A  Rod  of  Iron." — If  it  was  invisible  on  account  of 
a  lack  of  faith-sight  in  those  who  felt  its  power,  it  was, 
nevertheless,  strong  and  inflexible,  and  it  has  held  the 


CHAP.  VIII.]        TO   THE   CHURCH    IN   THYATIRA  I45 

nations  of  earth  to  the  constantly  increasing  concession 
toward  individual  liberty  in  Christ,  to  the  downfall  of 
legal  Nicolaitanism  among  them;  for,  in  this  respect,  said 
Jesus, — 

"As  the  vessels  of  a  potter  shall  they  be 
broken  to  shivers." — Consider  the  imperial  German 
fragments,  and  the  dead  Eoman  bulls!  Says  McCabe: — 
"At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  all  Western  Europe 
was  Christian,  and  every  nation  in  this  part  of  the  continent  was 
in  communion  with  the  Roman  Church  and  acknowledged  the 
supremacy  of  the  pope.  It  is  true  that  the  principles  of  the  early 
reformers  had  aifected  England  and  some  other  countries  so  deeply 
that  martyrs  had  already  been  found,  but  as  yet  no  nation  had 
definitely  broken  with  Rome  or  set  up  any  new  system  of  religion 
for  itself.  Early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  however,  men  began  to 
think  more  earnestly  on  matters  of  religion. 
Power  of  tiie  The  Bible  had  been  circulated  to  a  limited  ex- 

Word  of  God.  tent  since  the  days  of  Wycliflfe,  and  after  the 

invention  of  printing  the  early  printers  had 
scarcely  been  able  to  supply  the  demand  for  the  sacred  volume. 
The  efiFect  of  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  was  to  open  men's  eyes 
wider  than  ever  to  the  abuses  of  the  Roman  Church.  The  divi- 
sions of  Europe  into  independent  states  had  made  many  men  in  all 
countries  very  anxious  to  be  rid  of  the  supremacy  of  the  pope,  but 
as  this  was  a  matter  of  religious  doctrine,  they  had  felt  powerless 
to  accomplish  their  desire.  When  they  found  that  this  supremacy 
was  not  sanctioned  by  the  Bible,  and  that  the  tyranny  which  the 
pope  had  set  up  in  all  lands  was  repugnant  to  the  Word  of  God, 
their  resistance  to  it  became  an  hundred  times  more  vigorous  and 
determined."— //;.?/;.  of  the  World,  p.  551. 

Observe  the  spectacle  of  the  "Holy  Eoman  Empire" 

in  shivers  before  the  power  of  the  Divine 

siiivered  Woid,  as  thus  told  in  history — McCabe's 

E:mpire.  statement  already  given  (pages  136,  137), 

and  the  following: — 

"  Germany  was  terribly  enfeebled  by  the  long  strife  [the  Thirty 
Years'  War].  Half,  if  not  more,  of  her  people  had  perished  in 
the  intestine  fighting.     *  *  *     All  national  feeling  seemed  dead 


146  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.       [parT  il. 

the  differences  of  creed  which  arose  at  the  Reformation  tending 
strongly  to  split  up  the  countr}-.  Henceforth,  until  recently,  Ger- 
many was  merely  a  loose  cluster  of  petty  states,  ruled  by  despots 
or  oligarchs,  over  whom  the  emperor  had  no  control.  *  *  * 
After  the  war  Germany  continued  to  sink  into  degradation." — 
Student's  Encyc,  Art.  Germany. 

"Before  1750,  all  Italy,  saving  a  few  isolated  republics  and  the 

Papal  States,  was  divided  among  the  houses  of 
Slilvered  Italy.       Lorraine,  Bourbon  and  Savoy.     Forty  years  of 

slavery  and  apathy  followed  till,  in  1792,  the 
French  Republic  invaded  Savoy.  Napoleon  formed  the  Cisalpine 
Republic  in  1796,  and  the  Roman  Republic  in  1798,  and  in  1804 
added  the  crown  of  Italy  to  his  imperial  crown,  making  his  brother 
Joseph  king  of  Naples  in  1805." — lb..  Art.,  Italy. 

"At  the  end  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War  France  was  the  chief 

power  in  Europe,  and  under  Louis  XIV.  stepped 
Shivered  France,   into  the  place  from  which   Spain   had   fallen. 

Louis'  policy  of  aggrandisement  was  at  first 
successful,  but  in  the  Spanish  War  of  succession  his  ambitions 
were  shivered.  His  armies  were  defeated,  the  revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes  (1685)  [revived  dreadful  persecutions  and]  deprived 
France  of  a  large  industrious  population,  the  revenue  was  scandal- 
ously misapplied,  and  at  Louis'  death,  in  1715,  the  national  debt 
amounted  to  ^140,000,000  sterling.  Under  Louis  XV.,  costly  wars 
were  carried  on  with  England,  Spain  and  Austria,  and  bj'  thje  treaty 
of  Paris  (1763)  the  larger  part  of  the  colonial  possessions  was  given 
up.  So  gross  was  the  misgovernment  that  France  was  brought  to 
a  seemingly  incurable  bankruptcy  and  misery.  The  country  was 
dying  under  the  weight  of  the  monarchy,  when  in  the  days  of 
Louis  XV. 's  successor,  Louis  XVI.,  the  changes  began  which  led  to 
the  French  Revolution." — lb..  Art.  France. 

' '  During  the  sixteenth  century, ' '  says  McCabe, ' '  the  wealth  and 

valor  of  her  troops  made  Spain  the  most  formid- 
Shu-ered  Spain.       able   power   in   Europe.     *  *  *    The   constant 

intercourse  between  that  country  and  Germany 
during  the  reign  of  Charles  V.  had  caused  the  Lutheran  doctrines 
to  be  well  known  in  Spain,  and  many  persons  had  adopted  them. 
Bibles  in  the  Castilian  tongue  were  generally  to  be  found  in  the 
houses  of  the  nobles  and  the  middle  class.  Philip  11.  was  greatly 
alarmed  by  these  signs  of  heresy,  and  at  once  set  the  inquisition 
to  work  to  rid  his  kingdom  of  the  evil.     By  a  cruel  persecution  he 


CHAP.vm.]        TO   THE   CHURCH    IN   THYATIRA.  147 

succeeded  iu  banishing  the  Bible  and  the  Protestant  doctrines  from 
Spain.  He  also  struck  down,  by  the  same  blow,  freedom  of  thought, 
and  threw  his  kingdom  back  into  the  barbarism  from  which  it  has 
never  j'et  emerged." — Hist,  of  Ihe  World,  p.  1073. 

Lamed,  in  treating  the  seventeenth  century  in  Span- 
ish history,  heads  the  section,  "The  first  century  of 
DECLINE  AND  DECAY."    And  says  that, — 

"  In  economical,  physical,  moral  and  intellectual  aspects,  a 
decay  pervaded  the  peninsula  under  the  later  Hapsburgers,  such  as 
no  civilized  nation  has  undergone." — Hist,  for  Ready  Re/., \o\. 
IV.,  p.  2988. 

If  this  list  were  to  be  extended,  it  could  he  shown  that 
in  whatever  nation  Eome  has  obtained  a  political  influ- 
ence, the  same  general  decay  has  followed.  Eome  wars 
upon  the  Bible,  upon  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  and  so  upon 
God,  and  the  well-being  of  all  men;  and  righteous  judg- 
ments must  follow  such  a  course.  The  Eeformation,  lib- 
erty of  conscience,  a  free  Bible,  live  and  thrive  through- 
out the  world,  while  popery  and  legislative  interference 
with  the  rights  of  conscience  are  to  the  same  extent  de- 
cayed and  "broken  to  shivers." 

"And  I  will  give  him  the  raorning  star." — The 
harbinger  of  coining  day — the  light  of  prophecy.  This 
symbol  is  said  (ch.  xxii.  16)  to  represent  Jesus  Himself: 
"I  am  the  *  *  *  bright  and  morning  star;"  that  is,  as 
said  in  chapter  xix.  10,  "The  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit 
of  propJiecy."  The  overcomers  of  Thyatira  were  to  receive 
special  light  on  prophecy.  And  true  to  the  promise,  they 
were  contending  for  the  overthrow  of  the  papacy,  which 
they  clearly  recognized  as  the  antichrist 
Antichrist  ^f  prophccy.    Luther's  answer  to  the  bull 

Recognized.         ^f  p^pg  Lg^  X.  was  entitled,  "Against 
THE  Bull  of  Antichrist."     They  not 
only  recognized  the  "man  of  sin,"  but  saw  that  Jezebel's 
space  for  repentance,  and  antichrist's  period  of  power 


148  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  ii. 

were  drawing  to  a  close.  Paul  had  said  concerning  the 
"man  of  sin/'  "whom  the  Lord  shall  consume  with  the 
spirit  of  His  month,  but  destroy  with  the  brightness  of 
His  coming."  (2  Thes.  ii.  1-8).  They  rejoiced  in  the 
prospect  of  Christ's  coming,  and  hailed  the  first  bright 
rays  of  tlie  neariug  glory  that  glimmered  into  that  long 
night  of  papal  darkness,  superstition,  error,  falsehood  and 
hypocrisy.  The  spirit  of  His  month  is  the  symbol  of  His 
word.  "The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,"  said  Jesus, 
"they  are  spirit  and  they  are  life"  (John  vi.  63).  The 
antichrist  then  must  be  consumed,  as  a  power,  by  the 
A\^ord  of  God,  before  final  destruction  by  the  coming  of 
Jesus.  The  Bible  had  been  kept  in  the  dead  languages, 
by  the  connivance  of  the  popes,  to  hold  the  people  in  ig- 
norance through  which  to  establish  and  augment  their 
own  power;  and  while  a  dead  letter  with 
The  Early  ^j^g  people  the  Word  could  not  do  the 

Translations.  predicted  cousumiug  work.  Wycliffe  had 
translated  the  New  Testament  in  1380. 
Pope  Gregory  XL  issued  three  bulls  against  him,  con- 
demning his  writings,  and  ordering  his  arrest.  He  escaped 
with  his  life,  but  f orty-pne  years  after  his  death,  the  Coun- 
cil of  Constance  "ordered  his  bones  to  be  taken  up  and 
burned;  which  sentence  was  executed."  (Abbott.)  Tyn- 
dale  published  his  English  New  Testament  in  1535,  and 
was  arrested  by  order  of  Charles  V.,  convicted  of  heresy, 
strangled  by  the  executioner,  and  his  body  burned.  Cover- 
dale  translated  the  whole  Bible  from  the  Latin  to  Eng- 
lish in  1535.  Cranmer's,  the  Geneva,  and  the  Bishop's 
Bible  followed  in  the  same  century.  The  desperate  exer- 
tions of  the  papacy  to  suppress  a  true  knowledge  of  the 
Word  proved  a  knowledge  and  fear  among  the  Catholic 
hierarchy  of  its  consuming  effects  upon  their  whole  sys- 
tem.   While  the  incipient  consumption,  in  connection  with 


CHAP. VIII.]       TO  THE  CHURCH  IN  THYATIRA. 


149 


the  initial  preparations  for  the  sending  out  of  the  Bible 
to  the  nations,  became  the  "morning  star"  of  hope  to  the 
Eeformers  in  the  indicated  destruction  of  the  papacy,  by 
the  coming  of  their  Lord. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

V.  THE  SARDIAK  OE  LUTHERAN  PERIOD. 
A.  D.   1539-1789. 

Text,  Chapter  iii.  1-6. 

I.  And  unto  the  angel  ofthe  church  in  Sardis  write;  These  things 
saith  He  that  hath  the  seven  Spirits  of  God,  and 
Tlie  Message  the  seven  stars;  I  know  thy  works,  that  thou 

*•*  ****  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead. 

Angel  of  Sardis.  2.  Be  watchful,  and  strengthen  the  things 

which  remain,  that  are  ready  to  die  ;  for  I  have 
not  found  thy  works  perfect  before  God. 

3.  Remember  therefore  how  thou  hast  received  and  heard, 
and  hold  fast,  and  repent.  If  therefore  thou  shalt  not  watch,  I 
will  come  on  thee  as  a  thief,  and  thou  shalt  not  know  what  hour  I 
will  come  upon  thee. 

4.  Thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in  Sardis  who  have  not  defiled 
their  garments ;  and  they  shall  walk  with  Me  in  white :  for  they 
are  worthy. 

5.  He  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall  be  clothed  in  white 
raiment ;  and  I  will  not  blot  out  his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life, 
but  I  will  confess  his  nam er  before  My  Father,  and  before  His  angels. 

6.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  churches. 

ARDIS  means '  'a  retmiant, ' '  an  ' 'escaped few. ' '   This 

age,  together  with  the  Tliyatirian,  as  I  have  said,  fill 

out  the  1,260  years  of  Daniel's  prophecy  (ch.  vii. — 

mentioned  also  five  times  in  this),  which  measure  the  whole 

period  of  the  domination  of  the  papacy  over  the  Church. 

During  these  ages,  from  50,000,000  to  75,000,000  of  God's 

truth-loving  people  were  put  to  death  by 

Milton  on  every  inhuman  means  that  human  fiends 

the  Martyrs.       could  invent  to  torture  out  their  lives.  For 

what  cause?    For  faithfulness  to  the  Word 

150 


CHAP.  IX.]  TO  TH^   CHURCH   IN   SAKDIS.  151 

of  God  as  against  the  traditions  of  Eome,  and  heresy  to 
the  creeds  of  men.     Thus  Milton  prayed: — 

"Avenge,  Oh  Lord,  Thy  slaughtered  saints,  whose  bones 

Lie  scattered  on  the  Alpine  Moiintains  cold  ; 

E'en  them  who  kept  Thy  truth  so  pure  of  old. 
When  all  our  fathers  worshiped  stocks  and  stones, 
Forget  not.     In  Thy  book  record  their  groans 

Who  were  Thy  sheep,  and  in  their  ancient  fold, 

Slain  by  the  bloody  Piedniontese,  that  rolled 
Mother  with  infant  down  the  rocks.     Their  moans 
The  vales  reecho  to  the  hills,  and  they 

To  Heaven.     Their  martyred  blood  and  ashes  sow 
O'er  all  Italian  fields,  where  still  doth  sway 

The  triple  tyrant ,  that  from  these  may  grow 
An  hundredfold,  who  having  learned  Thy  way 

Early,  may  fly  the  Babylonian  woe." 

After  such  a  wholesale  slaughter  of  her  members, 
through  the  machinations  of  the  great  antitypical  Jeze- 
bel, the  Church  is  left  but  a  remnant  of  herself,  either  in 
numbers  or  in  the  power  of  her  faith.  And  Jesus  appears 
to  Sardis  with  the  very  encouragement  which  her  depleted 
condition  at  once  suggests,  namely,  as — - 

"  He  that  hath  the  seven  Spirits  of  God,  and 
the  seven  stars." — That  is,  Mp"^  from  the  Spirits  and 
light  from  the  stars  for  each  of  the  churches,  and  both, 
therefore,  as  surely,  even  for  desolated  Sardis,  as  the  rest. 
Thus  sympathy  is  expressed  while  no  word  of  commenda- 
tion is  given. 

"Thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  Hvest,  and  art 
dead." — These  words  cannot  apply  to  the  overcomers  of 
Thyatira  nor  Sardis;  but,  as  in  all  other  instances,  de- 

*  Jesus  had  promised  the  Holy  Spirit  (John  xiv.  16,  26  ;  xv.  26)  as  a  helper : 
Greek,  pamWtVo.s,  literally,  "one  called  along  side  of  for  help."  ( i'oung's  Anal. 
Cone.)  A  "helper."  {Emph.  Diag.)  The  i»iaglott,  in  appendix,  defines  thus: 
"Advocate,  monitor,  helper,  comforter;"  and  says,  "Comforter  is  the  most  re- 
mote meaning  of  the  word,  and  does  not  adequately  describe  the  office  of  the 
paraclete:  it  was  to  help  and  direct,  as  well  as  to  console." 


152  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.        [part  II. 

ecribe  the  general  condition  of  the  Church  at  large.  It 
may  be  illustrated  by  the  Jewish  Church  at  large  at  the 
first  advent.  Jesus  described  them  as  "hypocrites/'  a 
"generation  of  vipers;"  but  still  there  were  His  disciples, 
a  small  band  of  faithful,  truth-loving  "overcomers." 

"Strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  that 
are  ready  to  die." — " Be  watchful;"  wake  up  to  truth, 
and  your  work  of  publishing  it,  to  the  salvation  of  your- 
selves and  those  who  hear  you.  Help  those  who  are  nearly 
overcome  of  their  persecutions  and  trials.  For  what  will 
be  your  own  condition  if  so  much  more  of  the  salt  shall 
"lose  its  savor?" 

"  For  I  have  not  found  thy  works  perfect  be- 
fore God." — Perfect  has  the  sense  of  "completed"  here, 
and  is  the  better  rendering  of  the  Diaglott — "fulfilled," 
Revision.  Inactivity  is  the  ground  of  complaint.  It  was 
the  fault  also  of  Thyatira  to  "let  alone"  the  Jezebel  teach- 
ers; and  Sardis  is  only  completing  that  work  of  indiffer- 
ence, and  neglecting  the  work  of  God — an  active  warfare 
on  the  adversary.  "Ye  should  earnestly  contend  for  the 
faith  which  was  once  delivered  to  the  saints,"  said  Jude. 
Paul  reasoned  with  the  t^ews  in  the  synagogues  and  market 
places  daily.  He  was  active.  He  went  where  the  people 
were  to  be  found,  and  put  forward  in  his  "disputings," 
or  reasonings,  the  truths  of  the  Gospel.  As  he  exhorted 
Timothy,  so  he  himself  preached  "the  Word,"  and  not 
tradition  nor  theory. 

Eepentance  and  watchfulness  are  demanded  of  the 
Sardians,  and  he  says  in  a  manner  sharply  to  them: — 

"If  thou  shalt  not  watch,  I  will  come  upon 
thee  as  a  thief." — Come  upon  /hee  in  chastisements  and 
judgments,  and  to  remove  thy  candlestick.  This  is  not 
the  Second  Advent — the  coming  to  all  the  world — for  the 
Philadelphian  and  Laodicean  ages  must  succeed  Sardis. 


CHAP.  IX.]  TO   THE   CHURCH    IN   SARDIS.  1 53 

But  it  is  evidently  typical  of  that  coining,  being  much  like 
that  which  will  come  upon  Laodicea,  in  that  it  requires 
watchfulness  for  a  thief -like  surprise;  and  doubtless  is 
practically,  to  Sardis,  all  that  the  latter  will  mean  to  Lao- 
dicea;  for  He  continues: — 

"And  thou  shalt  not  know  what  hour  I  will 
come  upon  thee." — Individual  opportunity  for  making 
their  "calling  and  election  sure"  will  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly terminate — as  much  so,  and  as  fatally,  in  the 
Sardian  or  other  ages,  were  God  to  give  one  over  to  him- 
self without  further  extension  of  mercy,  as  in  the  Lao- 
dicean age,  at  the  sudden  termination  of  further  mercy 
to  the  world.  "No  man  having  put  his  hand  to  the  plow," 
said  Jesus,  "and  looking  back  [deliberately  turning  away 
from  the  work]  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God"  (Luke  ix. 
62).  He  might  be  any  moment  "abandoned  unto  death," 
in  either  willful  negligence  or  disobedience.  Not  so  those 
who  are  still  striving  earnestly  to  overcome.  A  critical 
rendering  of  Psalm  cxvi.  15,  is:  "Too  precious  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord  are  His  saints,  to  be  abandoned  unto 
death."  (Boothroyd.)  Looking  back  is  to  cease  to  be  a 
saint.     "Eemember  Lot's  wife,"  said  Jesus. 

"Thou  hast  a  few  names  *  *  that  have  not 
defiled  their  garments." — Although  Sardis  is  but  a 
remnant  all  told — that  being  her  noted  characteristic — 
there  are  but  a  "few"  overcomers  even  in  her  ranks.  The 
greater  number  have  defiled  their  white  garments — their 
righteousness  in  Christ — ^by  unwatchf  ulness,  and  not  hold- 
ing fast  what  they  had  received  and  heard  from  Christ; 
but  rather  had  leaned  toward,  countenanced,  or  "suffered" 
Jezebel  as  a  teacher,  in  order  to  be  "in  line  with  the 
world,"  or  to  be  "orthodox"  m  name,  whether  or  not  in 
truth.  But  God  always  has  "a  few,"  faithful  ones,  and 
here  in  Sardis,  even,  of  whom  He  says: — 


154  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  II. 

"And  they  shall  walk  with  Me  in  white ;  for 
they  are  worthy."— These  few  worthy  ovcrcomers  of 
every  age  and  clime,  when  all  are  gathered  at  last,  will 
swell  the  innnmerahle  throng  of  the  saved,  till  it  fills  the 
kingdom  of  God  to  its  entire  fnllness.  The  "white  rai- 
ment," we  are  told  (ch.  xix.  8),  ''is  the  righteousness  of 
saints."  Please  compare  Eomans  x.  3;  Phil.  iii.  9;  and  fix 
in  the  memory  this  promise  until  we  reach  its  point  of 
parallel  in  the  corresponding  seal  (as  exhibited  in  the  dia- 
gram) to  consider  it  more  fnlly.  And  notice  the  repeti- 
tion concerning  white  raiment — no  other  promise  is  thns 
magnified: — 

"He  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall  be 
clothed  with  white  raiment." — That  is,  "unto  every 
one  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abundance; 
but  from  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that 
which  he  hath."  As  is  also  so  often  said,  "God  helps  them 
who  help  themselves" — those  who  really  seek  after  right- 
eousness will  find  it. 

"And  I  will  not  blot  out  his  name  out  of  the 
Book  of  Life." — Here  the  possibility  of  "falling  from 
grace,"  of  "receiving  ^the  grace  of  God  in  vain,"  and  hav- 
ing the  name  once  "written  in  Heaven,"  blotted  out  of 
God's  book,  is  very  clearly  seen.  Only  the  overcomers 
name  will  be  confessed  before  the  Father,  not  all  theirs 
who  have  "known  the  way,"  but  have  turned  "from  the 
holy  commandment  delivered  unto  them."  And  here 
again,  for  the  fifth  time,  comes  the  exhortation,  "He  that 
hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the 
churches." 


CHAPTER  X. 

VI.  THE  PHILADELPHIA^  OR  RENAISSANCE 

PERIOD— A.  D.  1789-1840. 

Text,  Chapter  iii.  7-13. 

7.  Aud  to  the  angel  of  the  church   in   Philadelphia   write ; 

These  things  saith  He  that  is  holy,  He  that  is 

The  Message  true,  He  that  hath  the  key  of  David,  He  that 

to  tlie  Angel  opeueth,  and  no  man  shutteth ;  and  shutteth, 

of  Plilladelplila.     and  no  man  openeth  ; 

8.  I  know  thy  works  ;  behold,  I  have  set 
before  thee  an  open  door,  and  no  man  can  shut  it :  for  thou  hast  a 
little  strength,  and  hast  kept  My  word,  and  hast  not  denied  My 

name. 

9.  Behold,  I  will  make  them  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan,  who 
say  they  are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  do  lie  ;  behold,  I  will  make 
them  to  come  and  worship  before  thy  feet,  and  to  know  that  I  have 

loved  thee. 

10.  Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  My  patience,  I  also 
wUl  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation,  which  shall  come  upon 
all  the  world,  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth. 

11.  Behold,  I  come  quickly:  hold  that  fast  which  thou  hast, 
that  no  man  take  thy  crown. 

12.  Him  that  overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple 
of  My  God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out :  and  I  will  write  upon 
him  the  name  of  My  God,  and  the  name  of  the  city  of  My  God, 
which  is  new  Jerusalem,  which  cometh  down  out  of  Heaven  from 
My  God  :  and  /  will  write  upon  him  My  new  name. 

13.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith 
unto  the  churches. 


^ 


HILADELPHI A  means  brotherly  love.      It  is  a  strik- 
ing change  from   the   Jezebelitic   and  Nicolaitan 
spirit  of  otlier  ages.    It  is  the  renaissance  (new  birth 
or  resurrection  period  of  the  Church — i.  e.,  as  a  body. 

155 


156  DIVINK   KKY  OF  THE  REVELATION.       [part  li. 

The  renaissance  of  letters  and  art  began 
Renaissance  ^g  early  as  the  fourteenth  century,  and 
of  the  ciinrcii.  j-j^g  Lutheran  period  is  so  counted  by  some 
for  the  Church.  But  Luther  and  the 
Eeformers  were  the  earthly  fathers  who  begat  the  new 
condition.  The  birth  took  place  with  the  organization  of 
missions  and  Bible  societies  after  the  French  Kevolution. 
Then  love,  which  had  seemed  shut  out  of  the  hearts  of 
men  for  twelve  centuries,  returns  like  Noah's  dove  with 
the  olive  leaf  of  peace;  not  like  her  to  enter  again,  for  a 
single  week,  the  dark  confinement,  but  to  call  out  from 
thence  forever  the  preserved  Church  of  God  into  the 
broad,  free  sunlight  of  Heaven — into  an  open  door  to 
truth  and  knowledge,  and  into  a  large  liberty  in  Christ. 
This  remarkable  change  came  with  the  reactionary  effect 
which  the  Revolution  had  upon  the  world  and  the  Church 
generally.  Mystic  Babylon,  that  for  nearly  thirteen  cen- 
turies had  held  God's  people  in  worse  fetters  than  either 
Egypt  or  Babylon  of  old,  met  her  judgment  in  that  great 
Eevolution  as  signally  as  did  Pharoah  and  his  hosts  meet 
theirs  in  the  Eed  Sea,  or  Belshazzar  and  his  lords  theirs 
at  the  hands  of  Cyrus^  the  Lord's  "shepherd"  to  let  go 
his  captives  and  rebuild  his  city.  And  as  with  those  typi- 
cal judgments  there  came  great  deliverances  to  ancient 
Israel,  so  to  the  Church  of  the  nineteenth  century  there 
came  with  the  reaction  after  the  French  Revolution  a 
Canaan  of  rest  from  Egypt,  and  a  return  to  Jerusalem  from 
Babylon. 

There  is  peculiar  significance  again  in  the  character 
which  Jesus  assumes,  and  the  manner  in  which  He  intro- 
duces Himself  to  this  age.  The  Church  had  been  for  cen- 
turies shut  up  in  spiritual  darkness  and  heathenish  super- 
stition— a  wilderness  of  great  privation  and  dreadful  per- 
secution, until  the  Sardian  condition  was  developed.  From 


CHAP.  X.]      TO   THE   CHURCH   IN   PHII^ADELPHIA.  157 

this  condition,  some  way  must  be  supernaturally  opened 
for  the  light  of  truth  ever  to  shine  on  the  world  again. 
The  power  that  had  been  usurped  by,  or  delegated  to,  the 
kings  of  the  earth  must  revert  to  the  original,  divine  chan- 
nel— the  Davidian  reign  as  extended  under  David's  Son. 
Jesus  therefore  appears  at  this  point  as,  "He  that  is  holy. 
He  that,  is  true" — 

"  He  that  hath  the  key  of  David."— A  key  is  the 
natural  symbol  of  pozvcr.  And  here  is  a  divine  applica- 
tion of  one  of  Isaiah's  prophecies  given  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  years  before,  as  follows:  Speaking  of  Christ,  the 
prophet  said:  "And  the  key  of  the  house  of  David  will 
I  lay  upon  His  shoulder;  so  He  shall  open,  and  none  shall 
shut;  and  He  shall  shut,  and  none  shall  open"  (ch.  xxii. 
22).  The  use  of  this  key  of  power  relates  to  Jesus'  work 
for  the  world,  and  therefore  is  to  be  used  during  time,  or 
probation.  The  pozuer  of  David  was  delegated  by  God  to 
that  patriarch  to  reign  over  mortal  Israel.    His  reign  was 

the  second  of  the  three  distinct  formative 
Three  Phases  j^hascs  of  the  Gospcl  kingdom,  as  they  are 
***  ***®  clearly  represented  in  two  of  Jesus'  par- 

Kingdom,  ables.     (1)  That  of  the  "three  measures 

of  meal,"  in  which  the  leaven — the  Gos- 
pel— was  hidden  "until  the  whole  lump  was  leavened;" 
that  is,  until  the  completion  of  Gospel  work  (Matt.  xiii. 
33).  (2)  That  of  the  seed  \\'hich  grew,  "first  the  blade, 
then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  But  when 
the  fruit  is  brought  forth,  immediately,"  he  continues,  "he 
putteth  in  the  sickle,  because  the  harvest  is  come"  (Mark, 
iv.  26-29).  (1)  Paul  tells  us  that  the  Gospel  was  preached 
"unto  Abraham,"  saying,  "Ln  thee  shall  all  nations  be 
blessed."  The  patriarchal  age  then  was  the  blade  form 
of  the  kingdom.  (2)  This  kingdom  was  first  regularly 
organised  under  Moses  (Ex.  xix.  5,  6),  and  he  was  the  first 


158  DIVINE  KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  ii. 

king  (ISTum.  xxiii.  21;  Dent,  xxxiii.  4,  5);  which  makes 
the  Mosaic  age  correspond  with  the  car  form.  Saul  was 
the  first  king  who  reigned  separately  from  the  priesthood; 
and  this  second  phase  of  the  kingdom  was  thrice  over- 
thrown, or  perverted,  as  predicted  in  Ezekiel  xxi.  25-27; 
Hos.  xiii.  7,  8:  perverted  first  under  the  Babylonians; 
second  under  the  Medes  and  Persians,  and  third  under  the 
Grecians.  "It  shall  be  no  more  the  same,"  said  God,  "until 
He  come  whose  right  it  is,  and  I  will  give  it  Him."  Jesus 
was  the  rightful  heir.  When  He  came,  the  third  phase — 
the  "full  corn  in  the  ear,"  the  harvest  phase  or  age — was 
due,  and  He  preached  it  at  hand*    Thus, — 

First,  Abraham  and  the  patriarchs. 

Second,  Moses  and  the  prophets, 

Third,  Jesus  and  the  Apostles, 

have  formed  the  succession  of  God's  medi- 
Keys  of  the  atiug  rulers  in  bringing  the  world  back 
Kingrdom.  from  rebellion  to  subjection  to  Himself. 

The  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  (in 
this  third  phase,  let  me  repeat,  as  said  on  page  52)  were 
given  to  Peter  (Matt.  xvi.  19),  not  eighteen  hundred  years 
too  soon,  but  for  his  ^prompt  use  in  unlocking  its  privi- 
leges and  removing  all  bars  to  citizenship  (1)  to  the  Jews 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  sixteen  or  seventeen  na- 
tionalities of  that  scattered  people  were  represented  at  that 
great  reunion  of  the  House  of  David;  and  each  heard  the 
"Gospel  of  the  Kingdom"  in  his  own  tongue  in  which 
he  was  born;  (2)  to  the  Gentiles  at  the  house  of  Cornelius, 
three  and  one-half  years  later,  when  they  also  were  bap- 
tized with  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  testimony  that  they  were 
received  to  citizenship,  by  faith,  with  the  Hebrew  tribes. 

*  See  Zech.  ix.  9, 10  ;  John  i.  49 ;  xii.  12-ir),  23.  37-41 ;  xviii.  33-39  ;  xix.  1-5,  12- 
22;  Matt,  xxviii.  18-20;  Acts  ii.  29-36;  xiii.  32-34,47;  xv.  16,  17  (with  Isa.  xvi.  5); 
Acts  xvii.  7  ;  xyiii.  23,  31 ;  Rom.  xv,  12;  Col.  i  13;  Hf^b.  \ii.  1,  2  ;  viii.  1.  2  ;  1  Cor. 
XV.  24-28,  etc. 


CHAP.  X.]     TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  PHII.ADEI.PHIA.  I59 

Jesus  possessed  the  key — the  power — of  David;  /.  e., 
He  heired  His  throne  or  reign  over  mortal  Israel — now 
'extended,  as  the  name  implies,  to  all  believing  prcvailers. 
Jesus  also  possessed  the  keys  of  death  and  hades,  the  grave; 
that  is,  power  over  them  to  liberate  His  people  at  the  ap- 
pointed time,  according  to  the  purpose  of  God.  Jewish 
lawyers  possessed,  and  withheld  from  the  people,  the  "key 
of  knowledge"  (Luke  xi.  52),  they  would  not  enter  the 
kingdom  under  Jesus,  themselves,  and  prevented  those 
who  would  enter.  So  the  papacy,  all  the  centuries  of  its 
power,  withheld  the  "key  of  knowledge"  from  the  Church, 
so  long  as  the  Bible  was  locked  from  them,  and  the  creeds 
and  tradition  thrust  in  its  place. 

"  He  that  openeth,  and  no  man  shutteth ;  and 
shutteth,  and  no  man  openeth." — Who  shut  the  door 
of  oppression  against  Jezebel  and  her  Nicolaitan  para- 
mours in  their  Dark  Age  policy?  Who  but  He  in  whom 
was  vested  at  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel  age,  "all  power 
in  Heaven  and  in  earth?"  Who  else  gave  the  saints  over 
into  the  hands  of  the  persecuting  powers  for  the  1,260 
years  (Dan.  vii.  25;  Eev.  vi.  2,  4,  8;  xiii.  5,  7,  12)?  Who 
could  open  the  door  of  the  Inquisition,  but  He  who  could 
give  "power  over  the  nations,"  to  "rule  them  with  a  rod 
of  iron?" 

"Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open 
door,  and  no  man  can  shut  it." — An  open  door  to 
individual  thought,  investigation  and  faith.  This  natu- 
rally followed  the  gift  of  "power  over  the  nations"  which, 
from  the  changes  wrought  through  the  "opened  door," 
can  no  longer  support  Jezebel  in  dictating  all  faith  and 
obedience  to  the  world.  "Faith  cometh  {ek)  from  hear- 
ing," said  Paul,  "and  hearing  {dia)  through  the  Word 
of  God"  (Eomans  x.  17).  But  the  "Scriptures  died  out 
of  the  world's  memory"  in  the  Dark  Ages,  writes  Croly 


t6o  DIVINE   KEV  OE  THE  REVEI^ATION.        [pArT  li. 

—being  hidden  and  smothered  hy  the  traditions  and  creeds 
of  Pergamos  and  Thyatira.  Jesus,  foreseeing  this,  while 
speaking  of  the  afRiction  and  hatred  that  should  befall 
the  Church,  predicted,  nevertheless,  that  "This  Gospel 
of  the  Kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all 
Spirit  of  the  ^i-^g  ^^,Qj.i(j  fQj.  ^  witness  unto  all  nations," 
Nineteenth  ^^f^^^  ^^le  end  sliould  come  (Matt.  xxiv. 

Century.  -^^y      fpj^jg  QQ-^-^[([  j-^q|  ]3g  ^q^q  UuleSS  E  neW 

spirit  could  be  infused  into  the  world — 
"brotherly  love"^in  place  of  Nicolaitanism.  This  new 
brotherly  feeling  came  in  the  wake  of  the  French  Eevolu- 
tion- — an  "open  door"  of  hope  to  the  whole  world;  such 
as  was  opened  to  Paul  for  preaching  the  Gospel  (1  Cor. 
xvi.  9;  2  Cor.  ii.  12).  The  old  creed  spirit  said,  "Think 
as  I  da,  or  die  as  a  heretic!"  Wliile  the  new  spirit  of  the 
nineteenth  century  says,  "Think,  as  I  do,  and  be  free!" 
Consequently,  this  is  an  age  of  missions  and  Bible  soci- 
eties. This  one  century  has  outdone  all  the  previous  cen- 
turies in  Bible  work  and  missions.  The  Bible  has  been 
translated  into  over  three  hundred  different  languages 
and  dialects,  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  million 
copies  have  been  disi^-ibuted  to  all  parts  of  the  globe. 
And  no  man  can  shut  this  door  of  light  and  knowledge. 
Popery  has  always  used  all  its  powers  to  stop  the  work, 

and  keep  the  Scriptures  from  common 
Bulls  A8--.inst  ^^se,  Pius  VII.,  in  1816;  Leo  XII.,  in 
the  Bible.  1824;  Pius  VIII.,  in  1829;  Gregory  XVI., 

in  1832  and  1844,  published  bulls  against 
the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures.  The  latter,  in  his  rage 
against  the  Word  of  God  among  the  people,  said:  "We 
earnestly  bid  you  in  the  Lord  (!)  to  seize  out  of  the  hands 
of  the  faithful,  not  only  Bibles  translated  into  the  vulgar 
tongue,  [the  only  languge  in  use  by  the  common  people,] 
published  contrary  to  our  directions,  but  also  proscribed 


CHAP.  X.]      TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  PHILADELPHIA.  l6l 

books  of  every  sort." — And  he  the  successor  of  Peter? 
Ko.  An  adversary  and  a  thief.  "Therefore,  behold,  I 
am  against  the  [pretended]  prophets,  saith  the  Lord,  that 
steal  My  words  every  one  from  his  neighbor"  (Jer.  xxiii. 
30).  Brotherly  love  changed  things.  A  door  was  opened 
by  a  mightier  hand  than  the  pope's,  which  cannot  be 
closed  again.  Let  all  earth's  loving  intelligences  praise 
God! 

"  For  thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and  hast  kept 
My  Word,  and  hast  not  denied  My  name."— The 
efforts  of  Philadelphia  early  in  this   century  seem  well 
to  warrant  this  commendation.   The  Brit- 
The  Great  jgj-^   ^nd   Foreign   Bible   Society,   said  to 

Bible  Society,  jjg  "i\^q  greatest  agency  ever  devised  for 
the  diffusion  of  the  Word  of  God,"  was 
formed  in  1804.  It  declared  its  fundamental  law  to  be, 
"to  circulate  the  Bible  ALONE,  zvith&ut  notes  or  com- 
ments." {Ency.  Brit.)  The  doctrinal  basis  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Alliance  is  stated  in  nine  articles,  three  of  which 
are  directly  antagonistic  to  Komanism:  "1.  The  divine 
inspiration,  authority  and  siiMciency,  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. 2.  The  right  and  duty  of  private  judgment  in  the 
interpretation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  *  *  *  [Thus 
challenging  "the  Church,"  and  denying  its  claim  of  equal 
authority  for  the  traditions  of  Eome.]  6.  The  justifica- 
tion of  the  sinner  by  faith  alone."  {Schaif-Herzog  Ency. 
of  Relig.  Knozd.,  Art.  Evang.  Alliance.) 

**  Behold,  *  *  *  the  synagogue  of  Satan."— Of 
the  adversary,  of  the  paganish  worship — the  same  as  in 
Smyrna,  or  Jezebelitic  as  in  Thyatira,  if  there  was  any  dif- 
ference. 

**  Who  say  they  are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  do 
he." — Who  say  they  are  Christians,  but  are  false  to  true 
Christianity;  who  worship  "the  Church"  and  creeds  more 
than  Christ. 


l62  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION.        [parT  il. 

"I  will  make  them  to  come  and  worship  be- 
fore thy  feet,  and  to  know  that  I  have  loved  thee." 

— The  blessings  upon  those  who  are  faithful  to  the  Word 
and  name  of  Christ  will  be  so  clear  and  apparent  to  all, 
that  even  their  adversaries  will  be  forced  to  publicly  ac- 
knowledge it,  admiring  the  white-robed  company,  i.  e.,  for 
their  evident  righteousness,  and  fairly  coveting  the  bless- 
ings that  follow  them.  It  is  the  company  that  in  another 
symbol  is  seen  with  the  Lamb  (Christ)  on  Mount  Zion, 
and  commended  for  following  Him,  and  not  the  ways  or 
theories  of  men.  For  these  parallels,  see  chapters  vii. 
13-15;  xiv.  1-5. 

"  Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  My  pa- 
tience."— A  repetition,  emphasizing  the  commendation 
of  the  eiglith  verse,  evidently,  and  furnishing  a  reason 
for  the  promise. 

"  I  also  will  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temp- 
tation."— That  is,  of  "trial,"  (Emph.  Diag.,)  some  noted 
hour  of  testing,  since  it  affects  "the  whole  world;"  but 
from  which  the  Philadelphians,  who  have  kept  the  Word 
of  the  Lord's  patience,  or  who  have  been  faithful  and 
patient  in  observing  the  Word  and  commandments  of  God, 
at  every  sacrifice,  are  ^o  be  kept — kept  from  over-discour- 
agement and  from  falling.  It  is  evidently  a  grand  pro- 
phetic trial  to  thoroughly  test  the  whole  world — all  earth's 
inhabitants  of  whom  the  Philadelphians  are  a  part.  Such 
a  test  by  God  is  not  necessarily  great  in  visible  display,  but 
it  will  be  necessarily  perfect  in  its  testing  power.  And 
that  it  is  a  prophetic  testing  in  connection  with  faith  in 
the  return  of  Christ,  is  evident  from  the  next  statement: — 

"Behold,  I  come  quickly." — Here  is  a  manifest 
reference  to  tlie  Second  Advent  of  our  Lord:  it  is  not 
said  here,  I  will  come  to  thee — i.  e.,  to  thee  as  a  church — 
quickly,  as  in  speaking  to  the  other  churches,  of  coming 


CHAP.  X.]     TO  THE   CHURCH   IN   PHILADELPHIA.  163 

in  temporal  judgments,  for  there  is  not  a  word  of  censure 
in  this  message.  This  is  such  a  coming  as  we  had  in 
chapter  i.  7 — "Behold,  He  cometh  with  clouds,"  etc. — 
Cometh  quickly  now  to  the  world — all  "that  dwell  upon 
the  earth" — with  rewards  or  the  final  judgment.  As  soon 
as  this  door  of  independent  thought  was  opened  to  the 
world,  and  the  Bible  was  restored  to  the  people,  the  over- 
coming class  of  the  period  began  an  earnest  investigation 
of  the  blessed  Book;  and  soon  the  parable  of  the  ten 
virgins  (Matt,  xxv.)  began  to  be  fulfilled.  In  the  24th 
chapter,  Jesus  had  given  a  running  survey  of  the  history 
of  the  Gospel  age  from  His  time  to  "the  end,"  briefly 
sketching  the  Abomination  of  Desolation,  and  the  politi- 
cal and  physical  signs  that  should  precede  His  return  to 
earth.  Then  He  gave  the  parable  men- 
The  Ten  tioucd,  wliich  begins  with  an  adverb  of 

Virgins.  ^^^-^-^g — ^]^g  q^^j  q^q  jj^  ^j^g  'Sew  Testa- 

ment beginning  thus:  "THEN  shall  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven  be  likened  unto  ten  virgins,  who  took 
their  lamps,  and  went  forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom." 
Here  is  a  world-picture  in  the  Philadelphian  age;  which 
Jesus  terms  the  "kingdom  of  Heaven,"  not  therefore  of 
darkness  nor  of  fanaticism.  The  "wise  virgins"  represent 
the  overcomers  of  the  period,  and  the  "foolish  virgins," 
those  who  receive  the  prophetic  "grace  of  God  in  vain." 
They  had  oil  in  their  lamps — Bibles — but  not  in  their 
vessels — their  hearts.  The  going  forth  to  meet  the  bride- 
groom represents  a  demonstrated  expectancy  in  the 
Church  of  the  coming  of  Christ;  comparatively  small,  as 
there  were  but  ten  virgins.  The  tarrying  of  the  bride- 
groom, which  so  disappoints  the  expectant  virgins,  is  the 
"hour  of  trior  that  was  to  "come  upon  all  the  world  to 
try  them."  For  in  Luke  xxi.  24-36,  Jesus,  after  giving  the 
signs  of  the  advent  very  nearly  as  in  Matthew,   speaks 


l64  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  II. 

specially  to  the  Church  as  follows:  "And  take  heed  to 
yourselves,  lest  at  any  time  your  hearts  be  overcharged 
with  surfeiting  and  drunkenness,  and  cares  of  this  life,  and 
so  that  day  come  upon  you  unazvares.  For  as  a  snare 
shall  it  come  on  all  them  that  dwell  on  the  face  of  the 
whole  earth.  Watch  ye,  therefore,  and  pray  always,  that 
ye  may  be  accounted  worthy  to  escape  all  these  things  [the 
snare— to  stand  the  test,  or  "trial"]  and  to  stand  before 
the  Son  of  man."  The  history  of  this  period  furnishes 
just  such  an  example  of  a  world-wide  expectancy,  and  re- 
sulting, in  the  early  part  of  this  century  (just  over  the 
border  line,  in  the  first  days  of  Laodicea),  in  an  actual  dem- 
onstration, before  all  the  world,  of  going 

a  Methodist  clergyman,  of  Boston,  Mass., 
ovement.  ^^iw^  writcs  of  the  movement  in  his  work 

published  in  18J:2 — more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury ago: — 

"  Toward  the  close  of  the  last  century,  and  during  the  career 
of  Bonaparte,  a  very  unusual  excitement  prevailed  on  the  subject 
of  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophetic  Scriptures.  More  was  written 
and  said  on  the  subject  than  had  been  before  for 
John  Fletclier'8  ages.'*  In  1775,  John  Fletcher,  the  bosom  friend 
Testlnioii}'.  of  Wesley,  wrote  a  long  epistle  to  Mr.  W.  on 

the  Second  Advent,  and  the  prophetic  times. 
He  declared  it  as  his  firm  belief  that  the  Second  Advent  would  be 
pre-millennial ;  and  thought  the  periods  would  expire  during  the 
last  century.  '  But  come,'  he  adds,  '  it  most  certainly  will,  before 
three  generations  have  passed  off.' 

"  It  was  the  age  that  drew  forth  a  host  of  writers  on  the  proph- 
ecies in  England  and  other  countries.  It  called  forth  Spaulding 
and  Smith,  with  a  long  list  of  others  in  our  own  country.  The 
'dark  day'  [May  19,  1780],  the  French  Revolution,  the  fall  of 
Popery,  and  the  wars  of  Bonaparte,  unquestionablj'  awakened  the 
public  mind  in  an  unusual  degree  to  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy. 
*  *  *  It  was  about  twenty-four  years  ago  (1818),  that  persons  in 
diff"erent  parts  of  the  world,  and  entirely  unknown  to  each  other. 


CHAP.   X.]       TO   THE    CHURCH    IN    PHII,ADE;i.PHIA.  1 65 

made  the  discover)'  that  the  70  weeks  and  2,300  days  of  Daniel's 
prophecy  began  together  ;  and,  of  course,  that  the  2,300  days  would 
end  in  1810  years  after  the  ending  of  the  70  weeks.  Some,  think- 
ing the  70  weeks  did  not  end  until  four  years  after  Christ's  death, 
carried  the  end  of  the  vision  to  1847.  Those  who  take  the  ground 
that  the  70  weeks  ended  with  the  death,  or  at  most,  the  ascension 
of  Christ,  end  it  in  1843.  Among  those  who  about  the  same  time 
saw  this  point,  and  began  to  preach  it,  were  Mr.  Davis  of  South 
Carolina;  A  J.  Krupp,  of  Philadelphia;  William  Miller,  of  New 
York  State ;  David  McGreggor,  now  of  Falmouth,  Me.  ;  Edward 
Irving  and  Rev.  Mr.  Way,  of  England  ;  Joseph 
Joseph  Wolff's  Wolff,  the  Jewish  missionai-y  ;  and  a  great  many 
Message.  otners  of  more  or  less  note.     So  that,  within  the 

last  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  the  cry  that  is  being 
made,  'Behold,  the  Bridegroom  cometh,'  has  been  most  distinctly 
announced  in  both  hemispheres  In  Wolff's  Journal  of  his  mis- 
sionary labors,  we  learn  that  he  proclaimed  it  all  through  the  East, 
where  he  traveled,  and  awakened  public  attention  to  the  subject. 
At  most  of  the  missionary  stations  in  the  East,  he  preached  the 
doctrine  in  183 1-2-3-4  ;  had  free  conversation  with  most  of  the  mis- 
sionaries on  the  subject,  as  also  with  both  Jews  and  Mohammedans. 
Some  of  his  discussions  with  the  Mohammedans  are  very  interest- 
ing. More  than  twenty  years  ago,  as  we  learn  from  a  missionary 
in  Tartary,  in  a  letter  published  in  an  English  magazine,  a  Tartar 
priest  discovered  from  the  Bible  that  the  prophetic  times  were 
nearly  run  out,  and  fixed  on  1844  as  the  time. 
A  ■World-wide  Within  the  last  three  years  there  have  been  sent 
Prociamatioii.  from  our  office  in  this  city  (Boston)  Second  Ad- 
vent publications  to  nearly  all  the  English  and 
American  missionarj^  stations  on  the  earth.  They  have  been  sent 
to  China,  to  Burmah,  to  Hiudostan,  to  the  East  Indies  ;  to  Persia, 
Egypt,  Palestine,  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  Greece,  Constantinople  ;  into 
Africa,  the  West  India  Islands,  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  and  the 
Indian  missions  on  both  sides  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  have 
also  been  scattered  broadcast  all  over  these  Slates,  and  in  the  Can- 
adas.  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  etc.  There  are  now  probably 
five  or  six  hundred  ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  the  United  States 
who  are  engaged,  more  or  less,  in  preaching  the  doctrine  of  the 
speedy  coming  of  Christ,  and  a  large  number  who  are  devoted  en- 
tirely to  the  work.  The  doctrine  has  made  more  progress  within 
the  last  four  months  than  in  all  previous  time." — Prophetic  Expos, 
Vol.  I.,  pp.  164-7. 


l66  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.        [part  li. 

The  whole  world  was  aroused  under  that  proclama- 
tion and   expectation   (although  so   few, 
A  Definite  comparatively,    of    the    virgins    of    the 

Expectation.  "kingdom  of  Heaveu"  were  actually  en- 
gaged in  the  agitation  of  the  subject). 
The  great  expectation  centered  on  the  "Tenth  Day  of  the 
Seventh  [Jewish]  Month,"  1843, — the  ancient  typical  day 
of  atonement — and  when  that  passed  by  without  revealing 
the  King  in  His  glory,  so  intense  was  the  interest  in,  and 
desire  for,  the  coming  glory,  that  the  expectation  held 
over,  and  was  even  intensified  as  the  next  tenth  day  of 
Tisri,  in  the  fall  of  1844,  drew  on.  All  classes  of  those 
who  did  not  love  the  appearing,  and  were  not  ready  for 
it,  were  nevertheless  filled  with  anxious  fears  lest  it  might 
be  so.  The  meetings  that  were  held  by  devout  believers 
were  most  powerful;  and  probably  no  sudden  movement  of 
equal  magnitude  was  ever  attended  with  less  fanaticism. 
The  excitement  was  great, — it  could  not  be  otherwise,— 
but  greatest  outside  the  ranks.  The  firmest  believers  were 
the  calmest  actors.  Men  believing  that  the  end  of  time, 
of  probation,  and  of  hope,  was  at  handy 
Consistent  Consistently  neglected  their  planting  and 

Sacrifices.  sowiag,  and  other  worldly  vocations,  and 

Joined  in  the  work  of  warning  all  to  be 
ready.  Multitudes  as  consistently  sold  their  possessions 
to  swell  the  fund  for  publishing  and  sending  the  living 
Heralds  everywhere  with  the  joyful  tidings  of  the  coming 
kingdom.  But  some  ridiculed  and  published  very  many 
falsehoods  about  the  movement,  as  the 
Tiie  Ascension  "agccnsion  robcs"  story,  etc.  These  have 
Robe  Falsity,  i^ecu  thoroughly  rcfutcd,  and  shown  to 
have  been  in  every  particular  false,  by  the 
most  reliable  eye-witnesses  of  the  whole  movement,  again 
and  again;*  but  still  the  falsehoods  crept  into  the  cyclo- 
pedias, where  they  are  cruelly  propagated  to  this  day.t 

See  Appendix,  A.       t  See  Appendix,  B. 


CHAP.  X.]     TO  THE   CHURCH   IN   PHILADELPHIA,  167 

These  words  are  penned  advisedly,  from  personal 
knowledge  and  experience  in  the  matter,  from  which  many 
particular  instances  conld  be  cited. 

"The  Bridegroom  tarried."  The  disappointment  was 
real  and  great.  But  the  "calamity"  predicted  by  the  class 
who  are  always  able  to  say,  "I  told  you  so,"  did  not  result. 
Those  "wise  virgins"  neither  backslid  nor  lost  their  bal- 
ance of  mind,  although  they  "slumbered  and  slept"  on  the 
time  element  of  the  message.  From  any  disastrous  results 
from  this  great  disappointment  and  "trial,''  those  who 
"kept  the  word  of  (the  Lord's)  patience" — who  had  "oil 
in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps" — were  promised  a  keep- 
ing POV^ER,  and  they  were  kept — a  glorious  testimony  and 
evidence  of  which  is  found  in  consecrated  survivors,  and 
fruits  of  their  after-work,  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  world, 
specially  in  the  United  States  of  America. 

Thus  it  is  clear  to  be  seen  that  the  "hour  of  trial"  in 
the  Philadelphian  age  was  a  prophetic  test  of  the  faith  of 
the  Church  in  the  Word  of  prophecy,  as  there  had  been  a 
like  test  upon  the  Jewish  Church  respecting  the  first  ad- 
vent. There  were  thirty  years  of  anxious  suspense  from 
the  time  of  the  angelic  song,  "On  earth  peace,  good  will 
toward  men,"  to  the  miracles  which  Jesus  performed  in 
proof  of  His  Sonship.  For  "the  people  were  in  expecta- 
tion, and  all  men  mused  in  their  hearts  of  John,  whether 
he  were  the  Christ,  or  not"  (Luke  iii.  15).  They  would  not 
believe  prophecy,  and  asked  for  more  signs.  And  Jesus 
gave  them  one  last  prophetic  sign:  "As  Jonah  was  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  whale's  belly,  so  shall  the  Son 
of  man  be  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the 
earth"  (Matt.  xii.  40).  But  all  that  went  before,  and  this 
at  last,  failed  to  convince  them.  They  were  not  really 
honest  men,  but  proved  to  be  canting  hypocrites,  and 
were  condemned  as  such.    What,  therefore,  shall  we  fear 


l68  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.        [part  il. 

for  those  of  this  century  who  not  only  have  no  faith  in 
prophecy,  no  light  on  prophecy,  but  who  have  no  interest 
in  the  subject  ? 

That  the  movement  of  fifty  years  ago  was  the  true 
answer  of  the  parable  will  appear  certain  when  we  reach 
the  exposition  of  chapter  x.  And  that  it  was,  and  still  is, 
a  genuine  test  of  the  faith  of  the  Church  is  shown  in  the 
immediate  textual  connection,  "Behold,  I  come  quickly," 
and: — 

"  Hold  that  fast  which  thou  hast,  that  no  man 
take  thy  crown." — Peter,  speaking  of  the  evidences  at 
the  first  advent,  said:  We  have  also  a  more  sure  Word 
of  prophecy;  zvhcramto'  yc  DO  WELL  that  yc  take  heed, 
as  unt&  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place,  until  the  day 
dazvn,  and  the  day  star  arise  in  your  hearts;  knowing  this 
first,  that  no  prophecy  of  the  Scripture  is  of  any  private 
interpretation  (2  Epis.  i.  19,  20).  Showing  that  for  the 
wise  virgins  there  is  light  respecting  the  return  of  the 
Lord;  but  for  the  foolish,  inattentive  and  unbelieving, 
who  do  not  "do  Avell"  in  taking  "heed,"  there  is  condem- 
nation. The  same  intimation  also  is  put  forth  in  the  text 
concerning  a  possibility^  of  the  loss  of  the  crown  of  life, 
that  we  found  in  the  exhortation  to  Sardis  respecting  a 
possibility  of  blotting  a  name  out  of  the  book  of  Life. 

"A  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God." — The  over- 
comer  of  Philadelphia,  the  wise  virgin  of  the  parable, 
during  the  tarrying  of,  and  the  anxious  waiting  for,  the 
Bridegroom,  is  to  be  made  a  strong  support,  in  the  "build- 
ing of  God,"  or  temple,  "which  temple,"  said  the  Apostle, 
"ye  are"  (1  Cor.  iii.  16,  17).  A  pillar,  a  strong  support, 
as  a  prophetic  light-bearer  in  the  Church;  such  as  Peter, 
James  and  John,  in  a  measure,  were  to  Ephesus  (Gal.  ii. 
9);  while  the  foolish  virgins,  inattentive,  and  neglectful 
of  prophecy,  have  allowed  their  lamps  to  go  out:  they  are 


CHAP.  X,]      TO   THK   CHURCH   IN   PHILADELPHIA.  169 

no  spiritual  support  to  the  Church;  and  their  professions 
prove  to  be  of  no  use  to  themselves.  Will  not  so  solemn 
a  warning  arouse  the  indifferent  masses  of  mere  "profes- 
sors of  religion"  to  a  sense  of  their  duties,  while  the  door 
is  still  open,  and  the  Bridegroom  still  tarries  to  test  them? 
These  overcomers  have  so  thoroughly  proved  their  en- 
tire loyalty  to  the  will  of  God,  that  they  are  reckoned  as 
immovable,  and  the  names  of  God,  of  the  city,  and  of 
Christ,  are  written  upon  them.  They  are  new  creatures 
in  Christ,  and  the  new  name  Christian,  symbolically,  is 
written  in  their  foreheads.  By  it  we  shall  recognize  them 
later.  And  here  occurs  the  sixth  repetition  of  the  Spirit's 
exhortation,  "He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the 
Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches." 


CHAPTEE  XL 

VII.  THE   LAODICEAN   OR  JUDGMENT   PERIOD. 

A.  D.  1840  TO  THE  END. 

Text,  Chapter  iii.  14-22. 

14.  And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  of  the  Laodiceans  ■write  ; 
These  things  saith  the  Amen,  the  faithful  and 
The  Message  true  witness,  the  beginning  of  the  creation  of 

to  tli«  Angel  God  ■ 

of  Laodicea.  15-  I  know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither 

cold  nor  hot :  I  would  thou  wert  cold  or  hot. 
i6.  So  then  because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor 
hot,  I  will  spew  thee  out  of  My  mouth. 

17.  Because  thou  sa}"est,  I  am  rich,  and  increased  with  goods, 
and  have  need  of  nothing  ;  and  knowest  not  that  thou  art  wretched, 
and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked  : 

18.  I  counsel  thee  to  buy  of  Me  gold  tried  in  the  iire,  that  thou 
mayest  be  rich  ;  and  white  raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed, 
and  that  the  shame  of  thy  nakedness  do  not  appear  ;  and  annoint 
thine  eyes  with  eye-salve, »that  thou  mayest  see. 

19.  As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten  :  be  zealous,  there- 
fore, and  repent. 

20.  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock  :  if  anj^  man  hear 
My  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup 
with  him,  and  he  with  Me. 

21.  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  Me  in  My 
throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  My  Father 
in  His  throne. 

22.  He  that  hath  ah  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  churches. 

JUDGMENT  OF  THE  PEOPLE,  is  the  signification 
of  Laodicea^  as  drawn  from  its  root  words,  laos^  the 
people,  and  dike^  justice  or  judgment.    It  is  the  last 
age,  and  theref ore /^r  judgment;  but  in  another  sense,  having 

170 


CHAP.  XI.]  TO   THE   CHURCH    IN   LAODICEA.  lyt 

been  thoroughly  tested  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  first  days 
of  this  period,  concerning  the  "spirit  of  prophecy,"  the 
people,  nearly  en  masse,  have  repudiated  it  as  an  unprofit- 
able study,  and  have  judged  themselves  unworthy  of  its 
blessing.  The  general  outlook  for  the  Church  is  far  from 
encouraging  to  her  "saints" — the  few — for  the  "higher 
criticism"  and  semi-infidelity  flourish,  and  spiritual  power 
is  far  in  the  background. 

Jesus  characterizes  Himself  in  this  last  message  as 
"The  Amen." — As  He -was  the  "beginning"  in  power, 
to  Ephesus,  so  He  will  be  the  "ending,"  in  glory,  to  the 
overcomers  of  Laodicea. 

"  Thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot :  I  would  thou 
wert  cold  or  hot." — The  great  prophetic  test  or  ' '  trial ' ' 
proved  the  heart  of  the  professed  Church,  and  changed  the 
whole  tenor  of  her  thought  and  desire,  as  is  shown  in  the 
condition  of  Laodicea,  not  as  she  professes,  as  we  will  see, 
but  as  uncovered  by  Him  "who  searcheth  the  reins  and 
hearts." 

"Because  thou  art  lukewarm  *  *  *  I  will 
spew  thee  out. ' ' — They  had  ])een  ' '  in  Christ, ' '  and  knew 
His  sufferings;  but  could  not  "watch"  with  Him  one  hour 
of  trial,  much  less  three  or  four.  A  half  century  of  earnest 
brotherly  love  and  missionary  work  gave  way,  for  lack  of 
persistent,  living,  active  faith  in  the  Word  of  prophecy — 
gave  way  before  the  strain  of  that  faith-trial, — to  this  Lao- 
dicean lukewarmness;  so  that  after  all  those  commendable 
works  alone  could  not  avail.  God  is  ready  to  spew  His 
professed  people,  as  He  did  the  Jews  of  old,  out  of  His 
mouth,  as  a  nauseating  draught  of  lukewarm  water  is  re- 
jected. Let  the  reader  reflect  that  this  is  our  condition, 
and  the  period  in  which  we  are  now  living.  In  medieval 
times  Christianity  was  most  antagonized  by  Chnrchianity, 


172  DIVINE   KEY   OP  THE   REVELATION.        [parT  II. 

and  Nicolaitan  zeal  for  creeds.  But  in 
New  Fofs  to  these  Laodicean  days,  new  foes  to  genuine 
True  Religion,  religion  and  consecration  to  God  have 
arisen  and  joined  the  Church:  Fashion 
and  Popularity  are  the  twin  goddesses  that  sit  in  the  mod- 
ern Diana's  seat;  the  latest  fad  in  catchpenny  amusements, 
entertainments  and  feasts,  desecrate  places  formally  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  God;  pulpit  drolleries,  wit,  worldly 
wisdom  and  eloquence  mostly  displace  the  poivcr  of  the 
Gospel;  and  optimistic  views,  anecdotes,  funny  or  other- 
wise, and  pathetic  pictures  answer  largely  for  the  Gospel 
itself.  Prayer-meetings  are  not  sought  after  by  the  mem- 
bership as  the  festivals  are;  and  when  attended,  an  amaz- 
ing few  take  an  active  part  in  the  worship  of  the  former, 
while  the  masses  engage  freely  and  zealously  in  the  festivi- 
ties of  the  latter. 

"  Because  thou  say  est,  I  am  rich,  and  increased 
with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing." — No  one 
should  think  these  are  literal  "riches"  and  "goods,"  of 
which  the  Church  is  boasting:  they  are  symbolic.  The 
"goods"  and  "talents"  which  Jesus  left  with  the  Church 
(Matt.  XXV.  14),  instead, of  gold  and  material  wealth,  were 
the  tntths  of  the  Gospel,  which  He  left  with  His  servants, 
as  each  possessed  "ability"  and  zeal  to  teach  them.  By 
"trading,"  as  the  parable  has  it,  the  one  talent  would  in- 
crease to  two;  the  two  to  four,  and  the  five  to  ten.  So  in 
accepting  and  teaching  the  principles  of  the  Gospel,  they 
will  increase  and  expand  to  the  comprehension,  more  and 
more,  according  to  use.  But  the  Church  of  this  luke- 
warm period  are  satisfied  with  what  the  early  Eeformers 
dug  out  for  them,  and  consider  themselves,  in  their  luke- 
warmness,  "rich  and  increased  Avith  goods"!  when  with  a 
proper  love  for  truth  and  zeal  for  God,  they  would  con- 
stantly desire  and  increase,  and  would  also  receive  more 


CHAP.  XI.]  TO  THE  CHURCH   IN  LAODICEA.  I73 

and  more,  according  as  they  use  it,  and  as  it  unfolds 
through  revelation.  No  true  Christian  will  ever  say,  I 
have  enough  of  truth,  "and  have  need  of  nothing."  It  is 
as  unnatural  for  a  Christian  to  be  satisfied  with  past  attain- 
ments, as  for  a  worldly  man  to  be  satisfied  with  his  past 
gains.  Satisfied  professors  are  lukewarm  indeed;  and  are, 
without  knowing  it, — 

"Wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and 
blind,  and  naked." — What  an  indictment  for  us,  from 
Heaven!  How  well  it  stands  us  in  hand  to  examine  our- 
selves, as  an  apostle  exhorts,  whether  we  be  in  the  faith; 
to  prove  our  own  selves  (2  Cor.  xiii.  5).  Many  among  the 
multifarious  teachers,  and  many  forms  among  the  multi- 
form systems  of  faith,  are  wrong — all  cannot  be  right. 
Who  is  wrong?  and  what  is  wrong?  are  questions  of  mo- 
ment for  every  individual  of  Laodicea  to  settle.  And  I 
answer,  emphatically,  Rome  is  wrong,  radically  so,  for  God 
is  her  accuser.  And  accordingly  every  system,  and  every 
individual,  that  borrows  in  matters  of  faith  from  the  doc- 
trines of  Jezebel,  are  wrong,  and  censurable  with  her;  and 
must  "repent"  with  or  without  her,  before  any  further 
light  will  shine  for  them. 

"  I  counsel  thee  to  buy  of  ME  gold,  tried  in  the 
fire,  that  thou  may  est  be  rich." — We  have  seen  that 
gold  is  a  symbol  of  truth  (p.  65).  When  "tried  in  the  fire," 
a  metal  is  refined  from  dross  and  impurities.  So  God 
would  have  Laodiceans,  whose  "riches"  are  not  genuine, 
tried  and  refined,  even  through  the  fire  of  persecution,  and 
loss  of  popularity;  and  at  the  expense  of  being  counted  by 
men  as  "unorthodox,"  and  "unevangelical,"  because  hold- 
ing in  all  things  to  the  Word,  without  fear  of  men,  or 
favor  from  the  traditions  or  creeds  of  men.  Eich  in  pure 
faith,  unalloyed  with  tradition.  This  is  the  kind  of  riches 
which  God  respects,  and  counsels  us  to  obtain. 


174  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.        [part  II. 

"And  white  raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be 
clothed,  and  that  the  shame  of  thy  nakedness  do 
not  appear." — The  white  garments  of  righteousness  have 
ah-eady  been  noticed  (p.  154).  Xot  to  have  the  genuine 
righteousness  of  Christ  is  to  he  unclothed  in  the  sight  of 
God;  for  man  has  no  natural  righteousness. 

"And  anoint  thine  eyes  with  eye-salve,  that 
thou  mayest  see." — Laodicea,  then,  is  defective  in  her 
own  vision — spiritually  and  doctrinally.  God  charges  it; 
and  "He  who  formed  the  eye,  can  He  not  see?"  Her  teach- 
ing, i.  e.,  the  representative,  "orthodox"  teaching  of  this 
age,  is  therefore  defective:  will  the  reader  note  this? 
Anointing  sjmibolizes  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as 
a  helper  and  teacher.  (Comp.  John  xiv.  26,  and  1  John  ii. 
20,  27.)  Anointing  the  eyes,  that  is,  the  "eyes  of  the 
understanding,"  will  correct  the  misteaching  of  those  who 
have  "that  doctrine,"  which  God  denounces,  and  calls  the 
"depths  of  satan,  as  they  speak,"  coming  down  to  them 
through  the  creeds  of  Pergamos  and  Thyatira.  They  of 
this  lukewarm  condition,  being  satisfied  with  what  they 
have  received  from  popular  sources,  because  they  do  not 
closely  and  independently  scrutinize  the  Word,  cannot 
without  this  helpful  anointing  see  the  great  present  truths 
that  are  more  and  more  unfolding  to  this  generation. 
Their  minds  are  filled  and  spiritually  dwarfed  with  for- 
mulations and  traditions  of  the  Dark  Age 
Facts  Not  Councils.    That  I  am  not  misstating,  but 

Misstated.  citing  rccoguized  facts  to  meet  the  plain 

requirements  of  the  prophecy,  I  will  refer 
any  reader  who  fears  or  doubts,  to  quotations  from  such 
credible  authors  as  Edward  Gibbon,  "the  greatest  of  English 
historians,"  and  the  late  Philip  Schaff,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  author 
of  The  Creeds  of  Christendom,  History  of  the  Christian 


CHAP.  XI.]         TO   THE  CHURCH   IN   I^AODICEA,  175 

Church,  Schaff-Hcrzog  Encyclopedia,  etc.,  and  President 
of  the  American  Board  of  Bible  Kevision,  as  already  given 
on  page  107.  The  prophecy,  being  by  the  inspiration  of 
God,  warrants  the  facts  in  history;  and  the  history  being 
so  well  authenticated  warrants  the  inspiration  of  the 
prophecy. 

What   then   should   be    done    about   this   Jezebelitic 

"doctrine" — this  Roman  Catholic,  but  so- 

Tiie  Popular       called  "or^/wrfo.r,  Cliristology  of  our  days?" 

Error  siionid      j^y  ^\\  meaus  renoiincc  it,  as  we  repudiate 

be    Renounced.    ^J-^g    pQpg^    ^^-^^    l^is    ^yifg^    JeZCbcl,    herSClf. 

Anoint  our  eyes  that  we  may  understand 
the  simple  Bil)le  doctrines  concerning  the  nature  of  man 
and  the  Son  of  man;  that  man  is  wholly  mortal;  that  death 
is  the  destruction  of  all  present  life  and  consciousness; 
that  the  resurrection  is  the  new  birth  into  eternal  life, 
promised  to  all  true  Christians,  at  the  last  day  (John  vi. 
37-54);  that  Christ,  as  the  second  Adam,  had  the  human, 

mortal  nature  during  His  earthly  life — 
christoiosy  of  "-^/ag  niadc  of  the  seed  of  David  according 
the  Scriptures.  ^^  fj^^  ^^^j^^  ^-^^  ^^s  declared  to  be  the 

Son  of  God  with  power,  according  to^  the 
spirit  of  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead"  (Rom. 
i.  3,  4).  That  thus  He  was  "the  first  born  from  the  dead," 
as  regards  the  divine  nature,  through  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel  day  (Acts  xiii.  33), 
and  not  long  ages  before  the  first  Adam. 

Or  that,  in  His  birth  of  woman,  Jesus  "was  made  a 
little  lower  than  the  angels  for  the  suffering  of  death" 
(Heb.  ii.  9).  So  that  in  that  life.  He  was  human  in  His 
nature,  and  divine  only  in  origin,  character  and  mission; 
while  in  His  birth  from  death.  He  was  "crowned  with  glory 
and  honor,"  even  the  divine  nature,  and  "exalted"  to  (not 


176  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE  REVEIvATlON.        [part  ii. 

reinstated  in)  the  divine  presence.  So  that,  as  regarded 
His  first,  human  or  trial  life,  "He  who  sanctifieth,  and  they 
who  are  sanctified,  are  all  of  one;  for  which  cause  He  is  not 
ashamed  to  call  them  brethren.  *  *  *  Yov  verily  he 
taketh  not  hold  of  angels,  but  of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  He 
taketh  hold"  {lb.,  margin,  verses  11,  16). 

Or  that  the  Son  of  God,  in  His  first  life,  was  born  of 
a  woman,  born  under  the  law  (Gal.  iv.  4), 
Unity  of  tiie  which  decided  His  nature  in  that  life;  but 
Son  of  God  jjg  ^^g  begotten  through  the  instrumen- 
and  Mary.  ^^lity  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  "power  of 

the  Highest"  overshadowing  His  virgin 
mother,  which  decided  the  divine  character  of  His  mission. 
And  that  "therefore  that  Jwly  thing  that  shall  be  born  of 
thee,"  said  the  angel  of  the  Annunciation,  "shall  be  called 
the  Son  of  God"  (Luke  i.  35).  That  He,  this  Son  of  God 
and  of  Mary,  "was  twelve  years  old,"  only,  (not  twelve 
thousand,)  when  He  so  astonished  the  doctors  and  lawyers 
in  the  temple  with  His  questions  and  answers  (Luke  ii. 
42-47).  That  afterward  He  "increased  in  wisdom,  and 
stature,  and  in  favor  n'ith  God  and  man"  (ver.  40,  52). 
That  He  "began  to  hh  about  thirty  years  of  age"  at  the 
time  of  His  baptism  {lb.,  iii.  21-23).  And  that  with  these 
unequivocal  statements  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  must  and  do, 
agree  all  other  Bible  assertions  concerning  the  Son  of  God, 
whether  understood  by  Eomanist  translators  and  correctly 
rendered  by  them  or  not.  To  despise  the  prescribed  eye- 
salve  is  to  despise  the  prescribing  Physician:  if  not,  why 
not? 

"As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten: 
be  zealous,  therefore,  and  repent." — Oh,  let  not  mis- 
guided Laodicea  persist  in  her  former  boast  of  spiritual 
treasures,  and  need  of  nothing,  disdain  this  reproof, — not 


CHAP.  XI.]         TO  THK  CHURCH   IN  LAODICKA.  I77 

mine,  the  Lord's, — and  refuse  to  repent!  If  the  Church 
at  large  in  our  day  is  not  "wretched,  and  miserable,  and 
poor,  and  blind,  and  naked,"  in  her  doctrinal  standards,  as 
Jesus  describes,  where  then,  let  me  ask  the  "orthodox,"  is 
the  Laodicea  of  which  He  predicted  such  conditions?  Was 
He  mistaken,  or  is  she  who  falsely  boasts  of  riches — of  or- 
thodoxy f  "Her  children,"  in  every  feature  and  lineament; 
but  like  the  Jews,  are  ever  saying,  "WE  be  not  born  of 
fornication;  WE  have  one  father,  even  God!"  But  Errorists 
are  blinded  by  their  own  obstinacy,  and  seldom  ever  dis- 
cover their  errors  without  help — eye-salve — which  they  so 
uniformly  despise.  Otherwise  Eomanism,  Mohammedan- 
ism, heathenism,  and  all  false  isms  could  be  cured  by  an 
ujaprejudiced,  comprehensive  investigation  of  the  Word  of 
God. 

"Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock." — 
This  is  one  of  the  frequently  misused  texts.  It  is  often 
taken,  detached  from  the  book  and  message  in  which  it  oc- 
curs, as  a  general  exhortation  to  sinners  to  open  the  doors 
of  their  hearts  to  the  Saviour,  who  is  knocking  for  admit- 
tance. This  is  an  unquestioned  truth  that  may  be  proved 
from  many  pertinent  texts,  but  it  is  an  entire  perversion  of 
this.  This  address  is  not  to  sinners,  in  the  ordinary  sense; 
but  to  "the  Church  in  Laodicea."  To  Philadelphia,  it  was, 
"Behold,  I  come  quickly;"  to  Laodicea,  it  is,  "Behold,  I 
stand  at  the  door,  and  knock."    And  it  is  only  the  luke- 

warmness  of  the  Church,  that  they  do  not 
The  Knockine  f^^g^^  j-j^g  knocking.  The  knock  is  the  first 
is  tiie  Signs  of  thing  you  expect,  when  your  friend  is  at 
the  Advent.        fp^g  door.    And  a  prompt  opening  of  the 

door  is  what  your  friend  expects  when  he 
knocks.    This  is  a  symbolic  knocking,  at  a  symbolic  door. 


1 78  DIVINB  KBY  OF  THE  REVELATION.        [part  II. 

It  is  the  signs  of  the  Advent,  challenging  the  attention  of  a 
liikeivarm  church! 

The  disciples  asked  the  Lord,  on  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
"What  shall  be  the  sign  of  Thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of 
the  world?"  With  other  things  that  should  occur  in  his- 
tory, Jesus  told  them  of  the  "Abomination  of  Desolation, 
spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,"  and  of  the  great  tribu- 
lation that  should  accompany  it — greater  than  had  ever 
been  before,  or  ever  should  be  again;  (which  occurred,  as 
we  have  seen,  in  the  Thyatirian  period;)  of  the  false 
Christs,  and  false  prophets  that  should  rise;  of  the  darken- 
ing of  the  sun  and  moon,  and  of  the  falling  stars,  and  the 
shaking  of  the  powers  of  Heaven.  At  this  point  he  said: 
"Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree.  Wlien  his  branch  is 
yet  tender,  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  knozv  that  summer 
is  nigh:  so  likewise  ye,  when  ye  shall  see  all  these  things, 
know  that  it  is  near,  even  at  the  doors^'  (Matt.  xxiv.  33,  33). 
Thus  it  is  clear  that  the  signs  of  the  Advent  constitute  the 
symbolic  knocking  that  shows  the  Saviour  "of  the  door''  of 
Laodicea.  Will  she,  even  now,  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith 
unto  her?  Will  she  hear  the  knocking  at  her  door?  and 
Avill  she  open  the  door  ?  0  Laodicea,  listen  to  Jesus 
now: — 

"If  any  man  hear  My  voice,  and  open  the 
door," — How  shall  this  lukewarm  church  prepare  herself 
to  hear  Jesus'  "voice?  Jesus  Himself  has  told  us  in  Luke's 
Gospel  (ch.  xii.  34^37);  suppose  we  place  the  passage  from 
the  Gospel  and  this  in  Revelation  side  by  side  before  our 
eyes,  that  we  may  see  them  together,  and  discover  their 
liarmony.  It  may  prove  the  very  anointing  they 
need; — 


CHAP.  XI.]         TO  THE  CHURCH  IN   LAODICEA. 


179 


Luke  xii.  34-37. 


Eev.  iii.  20. 


"Behold,! 
stand  at  the  door, 
and  knock;  if  any 
man  hear  my 
voice,  and  open 
the  door,  I  will 
come  in  to  him, 
and  sup  with 
him,  and  he  with 
Me." 


"For  where  your  treasure  is,  there 
will  your  heart  be  also. 

"Let  your  loins  be  girded  about, 
\i.  e.,  wdth  truth,]  and  your  lights  hurn- 
ing;  and  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men 
zvho  zvait  for  their  lord,  when  he  will 
return  from  the  wedding;  tJiat  zvhen  he 
Cometh  AND  KNOCKETH,  they  may 
open  unto  him  immediately. 

"Blessed  are  those  servants,  whom 
the  Lord  when  He  cometh  shall  find 
watching:  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that 
He  shall  gird  Himself,  and  make  them 
to  sit  down  to  meat,  and  will  come 
forth  and  serve  them." 

Cannot  the  Church  of  to-day  instantly  recognize  the 
identity  of  thought  here,  in  the  exhortation,  requirement, 
and  promise  of  the  two  passages?  Surely  it  is  but  a  ques- 
tion of  candid  attention;  and  only  one  verse  further  in 
the  Revelation  and  we  reach  the  exhortation  repeated  in 
every  message.  "He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what 
the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."  What  is  the  promised 
reward  for  love  enough  for  the  Master  to  respect  His  re- 
quest, and  watch  for  His  return?  It  is  to  sup  with  Him, 
i.  e.,  spiritually,  while  He  tarries  personally;  to  feast  in 
delighted  fellowship  with  Christ  on  the  "present  truth" 
of  prophecy  concerning  His  personal  return  to  earth,  now 
so  near  to  be  realized. 

In  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  the  Lord  continues  as  fol- 
lows: "And  if  He  shall  come  in  the 
second  watch,  or  in  the  third  watch,  and 
find  them  so,  [f.  e.,  watching,]  blessed  are 
those  servants.  And  this  knozv,  that  if 
the  good  man  of  the  house  had  known 


Watcliing, 
a    Duty 
Imperative 


l8o  divine;    key   of   the   REVEI,ATI0N.       [part  II. 

what  hour  the  thief  would  come,  [by  any  premonitions  such 
as  I  have  given  you,~\  he  would  have  watched,  and  not 
have  suffered  his  house  to  he  broken  through.  Be  ye  there- 
fore ready  also;  for  the  Son  of  man  cometh  at  an  hour 
when  ye  think  not."  [I.  e.,  of  yourselves,  intuitively,  or 
without  watching  the  divine  signals;  for  it  is  the  Father's 
intention  to  bring  it  upon  the  world — upon  all  disobedient 
people,  "evil  servants,"  and  unwilling  watchers — "as  a 
snare,"  and  "as  a  thief  in  the  night."] 

"Then  said  Peter  unto  Him,  Lord,  speakest  Thou  this 
parable  unto  us,  or  even  to  all?  And  the  Lord  said.  Who 
then  is  that  faithful  and  wise  steward,  whom  his  lord  shall 
make  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give  them  their  portion  of 
meat  in  due  season  f    (Ch.  xii.  38-42.) 

Who  cannot  see  in  this  that  the  watching  attitude  is 
the  one  that  alone  can  please  God,  and  prove  love  for 
Jesus?  The  watches  here,  like  the  parable  of  the  wise  and 
foolish  virgins,  and  the  tarrying  bridegroom,  show,  if  they 
teach  anything,  repeated  expectations  on  the  part  of  the 
virgins,  and  that  it  was  so  arranged,  predicted,  and  in- 
tended by  God,  as  an  "hour  of  temptation"  or  trial,  "to 
try"  or  test  the  love  or  the  indifference  of  the  whole  world 
for  the  return  of  His  Son  and  their  only  Saviour  to  their 
midst.  Love  and  loyalty  are  proved  by  the  watching,  and 
rewarded  by  the  Master's  blessing,  which  is  represented 
as  sufficient  to  save  them. 

But  let  us  continue  the  parallel  quotations  as  each 
goes  on  in  its  place: — 


Luke  xii.  43,  44. 

"Blessed  is  that  ser- 
vant, whom  his  lord,  when 
He  cometh,  shall  find  so 
doing  [watching].  Of  a 
truth  I  say  unto  you,  that 
He  ivill  make  him  rider  over 
all  that  he  hath." 


Eev.  iii.  21. 
"To  him  that  overcom- 
eth  will  /  give  to  sit  with 
Me  in  My  throne,  even  as  I 
also  overcame,  and  am  set 
down  with  My  Father  in 
His  throne." 


CHAP.  XL]         TO  THB  CHURCH  IN  I^AODICEA.  l8l 

This  joint  nilership  is  during  all  the  last  part  of  this 
period,  after  the  type  of  Joseph's  ruling 
In  the  Throne  q^qj.  ^H  Egypt,  "except  Pharaoh  in  the 
With  Christ.  throne."  "Euler  over  all  that  he  hath" 
— all  revealed  truth!  It  is  thought  by  most 
people,  and  frequently  observed — sometimes  even  from 
the  pulpit — that  the  whole  of  God's  Word  cannot  be  under- 
stood by  the  Church,  and  even  that  it  was  never  designed 
to  be!  If  the  statement  were  no  more  than  a  bit  of  minis- 
terial modesty,  or  an  individual  confession  of  partial  un- 
derstanding of  the  sixty-six  books  of  God's  great  revelation 
to  the  world,  it  would  not  be  at  all  surprising;  for  every 
student  of  the  "Word  must  feel  his  own  littleness,  as  he 
wrestles  with  the  many  ^'things  hard  to  be  understood"  in 
the  divine  volume.  But  that  is  not  the  thought  usually: 
they  mean  that  none  in  any  age  of  the  Church,  nor  all  the 
Church,  could  ever,  nor  were  designed  ever,  to  understand 
it  all.  This  is  truly  a  remarkable  position  for  men  of  piety 
and  faith  to  assume.  It  really  impeaches  the  candor  of  the 
Word,  if  not  the  very  wisdom  and  love  of  God,  if  He  were 
thus  to  trifle  with  the  Church — commanding  diligent 
study  and  meditation  upon  what  is  absolutely  beyond 
human  power  to  comprehend!  Of  course  no  one  can  un- 
derstand it  without  sufficient  study.  But  "all  Scripture, 
given  by  inspiration  of  God,  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for 
reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness, 
that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished 
unto  all  good  works  (2  Tim.  iii.  16).  "Knowing  this  first, 
that  no  prophecy  of  the  Scripture  is  of  any  private  inter- 
pretation" (2  Peter  i.  20).  One  Scripture  must  interpret 
another.  How  could  any  Scripture  passage  be  profitable 
that  is  not  understood  by  anybody  in  the  Church?  It  de- 
pends wholly  on  how  much  proper  study  has  been  given  to 
the  Word,  spirit  and  letter,  how  much  understanding  there 


1 82  DIVINE  ke;y  of  the  revei,ation.      part  . 

is  in  the  Church,  or  how  much  profit  to  the  individual. 
There  is  the  express  promise  of  Jesus  before  us,  to  any 
servant  who  uses  well  what  he  has  received,  in  giving 
"meat  in  due  season"  to  others,  that  "He  will  make  him 
ruler  over  ALL  that  He  hathf  that  He  will  give  him  throne 
fellowship,  like  His  own  throne  fellowship  with  God.  This 
is  a  restoration  of  the  Ephesian  power  of  loosing  and  bind- 
ing, which  means,  evidently,  (as  stated  in  loco,)  condemna- 
tion for  rejecting  a  plainly  delivered  message  of  truth,  or 
justification  through  a  ready  acceptation  of  the  same. 
(Matt.  xvi.  19;  xviii.  18.)  In  all  history,  men  have  strangely 
despised  and  rejected  judgment  messages  to  their  own  swift 
condemnation.  Notably  was  it  so  with  Noah's  message, 
Lot's,  Jeremiah's,  the  Baptist's,  and  even  that  of  our  Lord 
Himself.  It  is  sad  to  contemplate,  but  Jesus'  word  for  it, 
this  oft-repeated  history  will  repeat  again  in  connection 
with  Laodicea.    Only  overcomers  can  escape  it. 

Many  suppose  that  the  sharing  of  Jesus'  throne  is 

a  promise  of  future  or  final  reward  with 
A  Present  Christ  in  the  everlasting  kingdom.     But 

Entbronement.  ^j^jg  cannot  be,  siucc  these  promises  are 

local,  relating  to  conditions  of  the  Church 
in  time,  and  not  to  eternity.  The  eternal  rewards  are  one 
thing  to  all  people  in  all  times;  while  the  rewards  to  the 

overcomers  of  these  several  churches  are 
Meichisedec  different  in  each  case.  Besides  Jesus' 
Reisrn  Limited,  throuc  and  kingdom  (as  specifically  His) 

do  not  comprehend  eternity,  but  time 
only.  Jesus  is  of  the  Melchisedec  order — priest-king.  His 
reign  is  peculiar  in  that  it  is  subjective  under  the  Father, 
as  was  David's  through  whom  He  heired  it;  mediatorial 
like  Melchisedec's,  and  therefore  limited  to  the  age  of 
mercy.  There  will  be  nothing  to  mediate  in  eternity. 
When  He  leaves  the  mediatorial  o^ce,  He  "delivers  up  the 


CHAP.  XI.]         TO  THE  CHURCH  IN  LAODICKA.  183 

kingdom"  to  the  Father,  Paul  expressly  tells  us,  Himself 
thereafter  to  be  again  "subject"  to  Him,  "  that  God  may 
be  ALL  IN  all"  (1  Cor.  xv.  24-28).  Then,  under  the  an- 
swered prayer  of  our  Lord,  the  perfected  kingdom  of  God 
will  have  come,  and  God's  will  will  be  done  as  universally 
and  perfectly  in  earth,  as  it  is  now  done  by  all  the  celestial 
hosts  in  Heaven. 

Thus  we  have  passed  over  the  seven  great  eras  of 
checkered  Gospel  history.  How  diversi- 
concinsion.  gg^j  j^^  j^^s  been;  but  how  perfectly  have 
all  the  predicting  symbols  found  answer 
in  events  and  conditions  that  have  overtaken  the  Church. 
Who  that  has  given  ear  to  what  the  Spirit  said  unto  these 
several  eras,  can  doubt  the  divine  authorship  of  the  Kevela- 
tion?  And  who  that  gives  ear  to  the  last  of  the  series 
of  messages,  cannot  recognize  the  picture  drawn  of  our  own 
times?  and  does  not  feel  the  chilling  shadows  of  impend- 
ing Judgment  hanging  over  lukewarm  Laodicea?  If  the 
"Amen"  is  about  to  say,  "It  is  finished,"  once 
again,  ought  not  every  sinner  to  be  warned  of  the  certain 
consequences  of  careless  or  willful  delay?  While  the  gates 
of  the  "city  of  refuge"  are  still  unbarred,  why  not  flee  as 
a  fugitive  from  "wrath  to  come?"  And  should  not  every 
Christian  be  encouraged  at  the  prospect  of  beholding,  on 
this  side  of  death,  the  King  in  His  beauty,  and  in  His 
glory?  Soon,  soon,  will  the  weariness,  the  longing,  the 
anxieties,  the  perplexities  of  his  waiting  and  watching 
close,  and  the  gates  of  eternal  life  and  glory  open  wide  and 
forever  unto  him. 

"Behold,  I  come  quickly."     "Behold,  I  stand  at  the 
door."    Amen.    Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus! 


PART  THIRD. 


A    VISION    OF    THE    EESTOEED    KINGDOM    OF 
ISEAEL. 

CHEIST  IN  THE  THRONE  WITH  GOD— THE  CHUECH  IN 
THE  THRONE  WITH  CHRIST. 

"Co7ne  up  hither,  and  I  will  show  thee  things  which  must  be  hereafter." 

CHAPTER  XII. 

SYMBOLIC  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  GOSPEL 
(DA VIDIAN)  KINGDOM. 

A  CENTRAL  THRONE  SURROUNDED  BY  TWENTY-FOUR 
OTHERS— ALL  ,WITH  CROWNED  OCCUPANTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  LION-LAMB  AND  THE  SEVEN-SEALED 
BOOK. 

NO  MAN   ON  EARTH,  NOR  ANGEL  IN  HEAVEN,  COULD 

BREAK  THE  SEALS— THE  LAMB  PREVAILS, 

AND  THE  ELDERS  AND  LIVING 

CREATURES  REJOICE. 


PART  THIRD. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SYMBOLIC  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  GOSPEL 
(DAVIDIAN)  KINGDOM. 

A  CENTRAL  THRONE  SURROUNDED  BY  TWENTY-FOUR 
OTHERS — ALL  WITH   CROWNED   OCCUPANTS. 

Text,  Chapter  iv.  1-11. 

T.  After  this  I  looked,  and,  behold,  a  door  zfflx  opened  in  heaven 
and  the  first  voice  which  I  heard  was  as  it  were  of  a  trumpet  talking 
with  me ;  which  said.  Come  up  hither,  and  I  will  show  thee  things 
which  must  be  hereafter. 

2.  And  immediately  I  was  in  the  Spirit :  and,  behold,  a  throne 
was  set  in  heaven,  and  One  sat  on  the  throne. 

3.  And  He  that  sat  was  to  look  upon  like  a  jasper  and  a  sardine 
stone :  and  there  was  a  rainbow  round  about  the  throne,  in  sight 
like  unto  an  emerald. 

4.  And  round  about  the  throne  were  four  and  twenty  seats : 
and  upon  the  seats  I  saw  four  and  twenty  elders  sitting,  clothed  in 
white  raiment ;  and  they  had  on  their  heads  crowns  of  gold. 

5.  And  out  of  the  throne  proceeded  lightnings  and  thunderings 
and  voices  :  and  ihere  were  seven  lamps  of  fire  burning  before  the 
throne,  which  are  the  seven  Spirits  of  God. 

6.  And  before  the  throne  there  was  a  sea  of  glass  like  unto 
crystal :  and  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  and  round  about  the  throne, 
were  four  {^zoa)  living  creatures  full  of  eyes  before  and  behind. 

185 


1 86  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVEI.ATION.     [parT  III. 

7.  And  the  first  living  creature  was  like  a  lion,  and  the  second 
living  creature  like  a  calf,  and  the  third  living  creature  had  a  face 
as  a  man,  and  the  fourth  living  creature  was  like  a  flying  eagle. 

8.  And  the  four  living  creatures  had  each  of  them  six  wings 
about  him  ;  and  they  zvere  full  of  eyes  within  :  and  they  rest  not 
day  and  night,  saying,  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  who 
was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come. 

9.  And  when  those  living  creatures  give  glory  and  honor  and 
thanks  to  Him  that  sat  on  the  throne.  Who  liveth  for  ever  and  ever. 

ID.  The  four  and  twenty  elders  fall  down  before  Him  that  sat 
on  the  throne,  and  worship  Him  that  liveth  for  ever  and  ever,  and 
cast  their  crowns  before  the  throne,  saying, 

II.  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory  and  honor  and 
power :  for  Thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  Thy  pleasure  they 
are  and  were  created. 

WE  now  approach  another  very  interesting  serial 
prophecy,  comprising  five  chapters  of  the  Eeve- 
lation — IV.,  v.,  vi.,  vii.  and  x.  The  first  two  of 
these  chapters  are  introductory  to  the  others,  which  give 
the  opening  of  the  seven  seals,  and  are  among  the  most 
important  chapters  for  careful  study,  in  view  of  the  har- 
monies that  we  must  find  both  in  the  entire  book,  and 
with  all  other  prophecy,  even  at  the  loss,  if  need  be,  of 
some  popular  but  inharmonious  views.  It  brings  to  view 
the  reorganization,  und&r  Jesus,  its  rightful  heir,  of  the 
old  overturned  Davidian  kingdom  (see  pages  157-9).  Will 
the  Millennialist  reader  kindly  fortify  himself,  or  herself, 
against  any  possible  prejudice  that  may  be  in  the  mind  for 
some  already  formulated  view,  while  we  read  and  reason 
upon  these  introductory  chapters?  Truth  only  will  ever 
be  found  to  harmonize  with  itself  in  all  parts  of  divine 
revelation. 

"After  this." — After  the  vision  of  the  seven  golden 
candlesticks,  with  Jesus  in  the  midst  of  them. 

"A  door  was  opened  in  Heaven." — A  door  of 
vision  like  Paul's  symbolic  "door  of  utterance^'  (Col.  iv.  3), 
not  a  door  of  personal  entrance,  since  the  Heaven  into 


CHAP,  xii.]        A  VISION  OP  the;  kingdom.  187 

which  it  opens  is  itself  a  symbol  of  the  "kingdom  of 
Heaven,"  as  used  in  the  Gospels.  It  is  true  a  door  of  vision 
was  opened  into  the  literal  Heaven  to  the  dying  martyr 
Stephen;  but  that  was  a  real  and  not  a  symbolic  vision,  and 
was  to  encourage  that  saint  with  an  actual  vision  of  the 
exaltation  of  his  Lord,  for  which  faith  he  was  yielding  up 
his  life.  No  person  except  the  high  priest,  clothed  in  his 
official  robes  "for  glory  and  for  beauty,"  and  he  but  once 
a  year,  could  ever  enter  the  typical  "holy  of  holies;"  nor 
therefore  can  any  one  except  Christ  only,  the  antitypical 
high  priest,  enter  the  antitypical  holy  of  holies,  that  is. 
Heaven.  But  John  was  freely  invited  to  enter  this  door, 
opened  into  the  symbolic  Heaven,  or  "kingdom  of  Heaven." 
Again,  in  chapter  xi.  15,  we  read  that  at  the  sound  of  the 
seventh  trumpet,  "there  were  great  voices  m  Heaven  say- 
ing. The  kingdom  of  the  world  has  become  our  Lord's 
and  His  Christ's,  and  He  shall  reign  for  the  ages  of  the 
ages."  (Emph.  Diag.  and  Revis.)  The  world  and  kingdom 
here  mentioned  is  evidently  "this"  world  {kosmoii,  order, 
arrangement  of  things),  and  the  "kingdom  of  Heaven" 
which  Jesus  and  the  apostles  preached,  and  under  which 

we  are  living.  Thus  we  may  determine 
Proofs  of  jj^  q]^\  cases  where  the  word  is  used,  what 

Symbolism.  Hcavcu  is  meant.     In  chapter  xii.  7,  we 

read,  "And  there  was  war  in  Heaven: 
Michael  and  his  angels  fought  against  the  dragon,  and  the 
dragon  fought  and  his  angels."  Now  it  is  simply  prepos- 
terous to  think  of  this  as  the  Heaven  where  God  resides 
— of  dragons  and  war  in  the  actual  presence  of  the  Al- 
mighty. The  Heaven  of  Heavens  where  God  dwells  will 
never  be  turned  into  a  gladiatorium  for  the  exhibition  of 
angelic  and  dragonic  prowess  in  deadly  battle.  But  such 
characters  and  such  strife  are  found  in  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven,  here  in  the  earth.    Another  instance  is  found  in 


1 88  DIVINB  KEY  OP  THE  REVEI^ATION.      [pART  HI. 

chapter  xix.  11,  14,  where  Christ  is  seen  in  Heaven  on 
horseback,  making  war  and  followed  by  armies  on  horse- 
back, "in  Heaven!"  We  are  warned  by  these  things  that 
there  is  no  safety  in  Eevelation  outside  the  S3rmbolic  rule; 
and  we  are  forced  to  understand  that  the  Kevelator's 
"Heaven'^  is  identical  with  the  "kingdom  of  Heaven"  in 
literal  references. 

"And  the  first  voice  which  I  heard  was  as  it 
were  of  a  trumpet." — Loud,  distinct,  definite,  intel- 
ligible. Every  voice  and  message  in  the  Revelation  is  of 
this  character,  showing  the  design  to  be  understood — to 
give  a  revelation. 

"Which  said,  come  up  hither." — There  was  a 
mental  effort  for  John  to  put  forth,  in  order  to  be  in  har- 
mony and  touch  with  the  revelation  to  be  made.  And  thus 
is  the  attention,  sympathy  and  desire  of  the  reader  also 
challenged,  and  each  one  who  would  have  the  knowledge 
must  come  up  at  the  call  of  the  trumpet  to  this  Heavenly 
plain  with  John,  by  an  effort  of  the  mind  to  grasp  the. 
offered  information. 

"And  I  will  show  you  things  which  must  be 
hereafter." — Show  them  beforehand ;  since  all  can  see 
them  equally  well,  without  supernatural  showing,  when 
they  become  history. 

"And  immediately  I  was  in  the  Spirit."— John 
was  evidently  filled  with  the  Spirit  expressly  for  the  pur- 
pose of  receiving  the  vision;  but  it  is  equally  evident  that 
he  was  previously  in  the  condition  of  mind  that  Jesus 
taught  all  to  be  in  (Luke  xii.  36),  watching,  ready  to  open 
immediately  to  the  Master  at  His  knock — ready  at  the  call 
to  receive  the  Spirit  and  any  message  it  might  bring.  By 
meditation  and  study  along  prophetic  lines — past  fulfill- 
ments and  present  and  future  prospects — every  individual 
Christian  may  be  ready  in  a  degree  like  John  at  any  time 
to  receive  the  light  that  is  constantly  developing. 


CHAP.  XII.]  A   VISION    OF   THE   KINGDOM.  1 89 

"And,  behold,  a  throne  was  set  in  Heaven, 
and  One  sat  on  the  throne." — In  what  Heaven  is  this 

scene  pictured?  is  an  important  question.  And  the  reader 
will  see  that  it  is  quite  as  important  that  we  have  some 
rule  whereby  we  may  confidently  locate  the  scene,  as 
whereby  to  interpret  it.  If  ''Heaven"  here,  as  in  all  other 
places,  does  not  symbolize  the  "kingdom  of  Heaven"  that 
John  the  Baptist,  Jesus,  the  twelve  apostles  and  the 
seventy  commissioned  disciples,  preached  (Luke  ix.  1-11; 
X.  1-11),  then  let  any  futurist  dissenter  produce  another 
that  will  harmonize  the  various  references.  The  experi- 
ment may  open  eyes  that  otherwise  will  remain  closed  to 
beautiful  truths  and  harmonies  concerning  the  reign  of 

David's  Son.  A  throne  symbolizes  a  king- 
symbois  of  a  (Jom,  and  with  one  enthroned  upon  it,  an 
Real  Kingdom,  actual,  present  reign.     No  other  logical 

conclusion  can  be  drawn  from  this  lan- 
guage. Let  the  reader  observe  closely,  and  determine  to 
his  own  satisfaction,  if  any  Scriptural  qualifications  can 
be  found  that  can  possibly  defer  this  kingdom  and  reign  to 
any  other  than  the  Gospel  age. 

"And  He  that  sat  was  to  look  upon  like  a 
jasper  and  a  sardine  stone ;  and  there  was  a  rain- 
bow round  about  the  throne." — The  personage  here 
described  is  explained  in  verse  8  to  be  the  "Lord  God  Al- 
mighty," in  verse  11  to  have  created  all  things.  Jesus  is 
not  described  or  mentioned  in  this  chapter,  but  is  the  chief 
character  in  the  next. 

The  precious  stones  mentioned  are  among  the  beauti- 
ful gems  that  composed  the  high  priest's  breastplate,  the 
foundations  of  the  walls  of  the  Heavenly  city,  and  called 
(Eze.  xxviii.  13,  14)  "the  stones  of  fire:"  they  are  the  most 
precious  of  earth's  gems,  and  the  strongest  symbols  in  time 
and  mortality  of  the  glorious  Personage  enthroned  in  the 
vision.    The  accompanying  rainbow  is  a  type  of  the  Cove- 


igo  divine;  key  of  the  re;ve;i.ation.    [partiii. 

nant  of  the  age  symbolized,  therefore  the  New  or  Gospel 
Covenant,  as  it  was  originally  the  "token"  of  the  ISToachian 
covenant  at  the  time  of  the  deluge  (Gen.  ix.  12-15). 

"And  round  about  the  throne  were  four  and 
twenty  thrones." — The  original  word  thronos  is  twice 
nsed  here,  and  shonld  not  be  rendered  "seats,"  as  in  our 
version,  in  the  case  of  the  surrounding  thrones  any  more 
than  of  the  central  throne.  Our  translators  seemed  to 
think  that  the  grandeur  of  the  central  throne  would  be  en- 
hanced if  the  surrounded  thrones  were  diminished  to  seats, 
merely;  but  they  did  not  comprehend  the  scene,  and  took 
a  very  unwarranted  liberty  with  the  divine  terms. 

"Twenty-four  elders  sitting  *  *  *  on  their 
heads  crowns  of  gold." — This  symbolism — a  grand 
central  throne,  surrounded  by  twenty-four  other  thrones, 
all  occupied,  and  the  occupants  crowned  with  golden 
crowns — can  possibly  signify  but  one  thing,  namely,  an 
associated  kingdom  or  reign.  And  this  is  just  what  we 
have  in  the  Gospel  age — "The  kingdom  of  Heaven"  estab- 
lished in  the  earth,  as  Jesus  preached  it.  He  said,  "If  I 
cast  out  demons  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  then  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  come  unto  you"  (Matt.  xii.  28).  And  again,  "I  ap- 
point unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  My  Father  hath  appointed 
unto  Me;  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  My  table  in  My 
kingdom,  and  sit  on  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel"  (Luke  xxii.  29,  30).  It  is  doubtful  if  any  clearer 
harmony  can  be  found  in  Bible  study  than  is  here  ex- 
hibited. As  God  delegated  power  to  Christ  with  Himself 
in  His  kingdom,  so  Christ  at  the  same  time  delegated  to 
the  symbolic  elders,  (which  I  will  show  symbolize  the 
apostles)  some  of  the  same  power  with  Himself.  Christ  in 
the  throne  of  power  with  God,  and  the  Apostles  in  the 
throne  of  power  with  Christ.  To  delay  the  Apostolic 
thrones  to  the  "age-to-come"  or  "millennium"  is  to  deny 


CHAP.  XII.]  A   VISION    OF   THE   KINGDOM.  I9I 

the  Lord's  table  to  the  Gospel  age,  and  place  that  also  in 
the  age-to-eome. 

Should  the  reader  question  the  exercise  of  regal  power 
by  the  apostles,  let  him  consider  the  royalty  of  Christian 
priesthood  (1  Peter  ii.  9);  the  reign  of  1  Cor.  iv.  8,  9;  the 
contrastive  significance  of  the  terms  "speech"  and  "power" 
of  verses  19,  20,  the  "rod"  of  verse  31;  the  ^'judgment"  of 
Paul  in  verse  3  of  the  succeeding  chapter;  the  delivering 
over  to  the  adversary  of  the  unruly  brother  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  flesh,  and  the  phrase,  "with  the  power  of  Christ," 
of  verses  4,  5,  and  the  judgment  "without"  and  "within" 
(the  kingdom  mentioned  in  verses  19,  20  of  chapter  iv.)  of 
verses  12  and  13. 

As  to  the  twenty-four  thrones  in  the  symbol  represent- 
ing but  twelve  in  fact,  the  reader  will  no- 
'^^^  tice  that  in  this  age  both  the  ancient  houses 

Twenty-four  ^f  jg^ael^  the  'Hwo  sticks"  of  Ezekiel's 
Crowned  prophccy  (ch.  xxxvii.  16,  22,  24-28),  have 

Elders.  bocomo  One  in  the  prophet's  hand.     This 

dual-one-ness  was  originally  signified  in 
the  courses  of  the  priesthood  which  were  not  twelve  only, 
but  twenty-four  in  number,  indicating  the  succession  or 
addition  of  the  spiritual  to  the  literal  tribes;  in  the  two 
tables  of  stone  that,  being  broken  by  Moses,  were  replaced 
by  another  pair;  in  the  tzvo  cherubim  on  the  mercy-seat  in 
the  tabernacle  and  temple:  one  for  the  old  dispensation  or 
house  looking  forivard  to  the  coming  of  Messiah,  the  other 
for  the  Gospel  dispensation  or  house  looking  backzvard  to 
the  work  of  Christ;  and  in  the  shewbread  on  the  priest's 
table,  which  was  baked  in  twelve  loaves  to  represent  twelve 
tribes,  but  was  arranged  always  in  tzvo  rows  to  represent 
two  dispensations — the  spiritual  or  "Lord's  table"  also, 
which  should  succeed  that  of  Moses, 


192  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.       [ PART  III. 

"And  out  of  the  throne  proceeded  hghtnings, 
thunderings,  voices."— Lightning,  in  leaping  from  cloud 
to  cloud,  separates  the  atmosphere  like  a  cannon  ball  plow- 
ing through  the  water,  leaving,  for  the  instant,  a  vacuum 
behind.  The  thunder  and  voices  is  the  concussion  of  the 
separated  elements  in  refilling  the  vacuum.  This  aptly 
illustrates  the  division  among  men  which  the  Gospel  king- 
dom causes,  and  the  discussion  and  contention  which  im- 
mediately results.  Jesus  frankly  told  His  followers  that 
the  results  of  His  work  would  not  bring  them  peace  in  the 
world,  but  division.  "But  in  Me,"  He  said,  "ye  shall  have 
peace."  "For  from  henceforth  there  shall  be  five  in  one 
house  divided,  three  against  two,  and  two  against  three. 
The  father  shall  be  divided  against  the  son,  and  the  son 
against  the  father;  the  daughter  against  the  mother,"  etc. 
(Luke  xii.  51-53).  When  the  truth  concerning  the  Gospel 
and  kingdom  of  Christ  comes  to  a  community,  some  gladly 
receive  the  Word;  others  reject  it  with  scorn:  then  comes 
the  "voices"  and  contention.  This  kingdom  or  Gospel  of 
Christ  has  entered  the  world  as  an  organized  force;  and 
those  who  receive  it  have  peace  within  in  believing,  but 
tribulation  in  the  world.  The  lightning  and  voices  pro- 
ceed from  the  throne — the  power  of  Christ,  the  Light, 
through  His  people,  is  pitted  against  the  "powers  of  dark- 
ness" that  reign  in  the  world  (Eph.  vi.  11-13). 

"And  there  were  seven  lamps  of  fire  burning 
before  the  throne,  which  are  the  seven  Spirits  of 
God." — The  seven  stars,  seven  angels,  seven  lamps  of  fire 
and  seven  spirits  are  the  same  in  office.  They  symbolize  the 
dispensational  agencies  which  God  uses  to  enlighten  the 
Church  in  so  many  "present  truths"  during  the  Gospel  age. 
The  candlesticks,  we  have  seen,  on  the  contrary,  represent 
the  dispensational  churches  for  enlightening  the  world; 
these  other  seven  therefore,  like  the  ancient  priests,  attend 
to  the  candlesticks  to  keep  them  in  burning  order.    They 


CHAP.  XII.]  A   VISION   OF  THE   KINGDOM.  I93 

are  before  the  thrme — subject  to  and  directed  by  the  power 
enthroned. 

"And  before  the  throne  a  sea  of  glass  hke  unto 
crystal." — This  sea  of  glass  is  the  antitype  of  Moses' 
"brazen  laver,"  "brazen  sea/'  or  "molten  sea,"  as  it  was 
variously  called,  which  was  made  of  the  beautiful  brazen 
mirrors  of  the  women  of  the  congregation,  who  contributed 
them  for  the  purpose  on  account  of  the  great  proportions 
designed  for  it:  it  being  much  the  largest  article  of  fur- 
niture in  all  the  sanctuary  service.  Its  base  was  the  backs 
of  twelve  molten  oxen,  typical  of  the  twelve  tribes;  and  its 
contents  an  immense  supply  of  pure  water,  typical  of  the 
abundant  grace  for  Israel's  pardon  or  the  abundant  means 
at  their  disposal  for  securing  it.  The  laver  was  placed 
between  the  door  of  the  sanctuary  and  the  altar  of  sacri- 
fice, for  the  convenience  of  the  priest's  washings.  For  they 
must  wash  hands  and  feet  in  its  pure  water,  whenever  they 
ministered  before  the  Lord,  "that  they  die  not."  This  was 
a  "statute  forever  to  them,  throughout  their  generations." 
(See  Ex.  xxx.  17-21;  xxxviii.  8;  1  Kings  vii.  23-26.)  It  is 
clear  that  this  was  figurative  of  their  cleansing  through 
the  "righteousness  of  the  law,"  and  typical  of  ours  through 
the  "obedience  of  faith."  (Deut.  vi.  24;  Eomans  x.  4-9.) 
It  was  a  visible  symbol  to  the  Israelite,  as  the  Jordan  and 
baptism  is  to  the  Christian,  of  necessary  cleansing  and 
purity  in  order  to  any  communion,  peace  or  fellowship  with 
God. 

Thus  the  sea  of  glass  represents  righteousness,  or  a 
cleansed  condition  before  God.  It  is  before  the  throne  as 
the  molten  sea  was  before  the  door  of  the  sanctuary  where- 
in was  the  Davidian  throne.  (See  Ex.  xv.  17,  18;  Isa.  xvi. 
5;  vi.  1;  Psa.  Ixviii.  24;  xcix.  1-4  ;  Jer.  xvii.  12;  Eze.  xxxvii. 
24-28;  xliii.  7;  Zech.  vi.  13.)  Israel  was  baptized  (eis)  unto 
Moses  (1  Cor.  x.  2)  as  we  are  baptized  (eis)  unto  Christ 


194  DIVINE   KEY    OF   THE   REVELATION.      [parT  III. 

(Eomans.  vi.  3) — made  ''clean  through  the  Word,''  i.  e., 
through  faith  in  and  obedience  to,  the  Word  of  Jesus  (John 
XV.  3).  The  Word  of  Jesus  was  epitomized  to  the  nations 
in  the  great  Commission  (Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20).  For  as 
there  were  forms  under  the  law,  so  there  are  under  the 
Gospel.  Said  the  great  Apostle,  "Ye  have  obeyed  from  the 
heart  that  form  of  doctrine  that  was  delivered  you.  Being 
then  made  free  from  sin,  ye  became  the  servants  of  right- 
eousness" (Eom.  vi.  17,  18). 

"In  the  midst  *  and  round  about  the  throne 
were  four  living  creatures  full  of  eyes  before  and 
behind." — Not  "beasts,"  as  in  the  common  version,  but 
(Gr.  Zoa)  "living  creatures."  (Emph.  Diag.  and  Revis.) 
That  they  represent  the  Church  is  determined  by  their 
constant  adoration;  since  "they  rest  not  day  and  night,  say- 
ing, "Holy,  holy,  holy.  Lord  God  Almighty,  who  was,  and 
is,  and  is  to  come."  Each  has  six  wings,  which  symbolize 
the  Heavenly  agency  of  the  Church.  It  was  to  signify 
Heavenly  service  that  the  cherubim  in  the  tabernacle  and 
temple  were  represented  with  wings,  not  that  literal  angels 
have  or  need  wings,  but  because  they  pass  through  the  at- 
mosphere from  Heaven  to  earth  as  if  by  wings,  and  in  a 
figure  are  said  to  Uy.  Aid  throughout  the  Kew  Testament, 
the  Church  is  characterized  as  the  "kingdom  of  Heaven" 
or  "of  God,"  harmonizing  with  the  symbols  of  wings  and 
flight  in  its  "angels"  or  agencies.  Being  filled  with  eyes 
signifies  that  the  true  Church  is  full  of  light.  "The  light 
of  the  body  is  the  eye"  (Matt.  vi.  22).  Eyes  before  signi- 
fies power  to  look  forward  prophetically ;  eyes  behind,  power 
to  appropriate  the  lessons  of  history;  within,  to  discover 
native  sinfulness,  and  need  of  Christ.  The  principal  char- 
acteristics of  the  four  living  creatures  apply  to  the  Church 
as  a  body,  in  the  first  four  divisions,  severally,  in  a  remark- 
able manner,  as  will  appear. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  LION-LAMB  AND  THE  SEVEN-SEALED 
BOOK. 

NO  MAN  ON  EARTH,  NOR  ANGEL  IN  HEAVEN,  COULD  BREAK 

THE  SEALS THE  LAMB  PREVAILS,  AND  THE 

ELDERS  AND  LIVING  CREATURES  REJOICE. 

Text,  Chapter  v.  1-14. 

1.  And  I  saw  in  the  right  hand  of  Him  that  sat  on  the  throne 
a  book  written  within  and  on  the  back  side,  sealed  with  seven  seals. 

2.  And  I  saw  a  strong  angel  proclaiming  with  a  loud  voice, 
Who  is  worthy  to  open  the  book,  and  to  loose  the  seals  thereof? 

3.  And  no  man  in  Heaven,  nor  in  earth,  neither  under  the 
earth,  was  able  to  open  the  book,  neither  to  look  thereon. 

4.  And  I  wept  much,  because  no  man  was  found  worthy  to 
open  and  to  read  the  book,  neither  to  look  thereon. 

5.  And  one  of  the  elders  saith  unto  me.  Weep  not :  behold, 
the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Juda,  the  Root  of  David,  hath  prevailed 
to  open  the  book,  and  to  loose  the  seven  seals  thereof. 

6.  And  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  and  of  the 
four  living  creatures,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  elders,  stood  a  Lamb 
as  it  had  been  slain,  having  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes,  which  are 
the  seven  Spirits  of  God  sent  forth  into  all  the  earth. 

7.  And  He  came  and  took  the  book  out  of  the  right  hand  of 
Him  that  sat  upon  the  throne. 

8.  And  when  He  had  taken  the  book,  the  four  living  creatures 
and  four  and  twenty  elders  fell  down  before  the  Lamb,  having 
every  one  of  them  harps,  and  golden  vials  full  of  odors,  which  are 
the  prayers  of  saints. 

9.  And  they  sung  a  new  song,  saying,  Thou  art  worthy  to  take 
the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof:  for  thou  wast  slain,  and 
hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood  out  of  every  kindred,  and 
tongue,  and  people,  and  nation  ; 

195 


196  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.      [PART  III. 

10.  And  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and  priests :  and  we 
shall  reign  on  the  earth. 

11.  And  I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the  voice  of  many  angels  round 
about  the  throne,  and  the  living  creatures,  and  the  elders  :  and  the 
number  of  them  was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thou- 
sands of  thousands ; 

12.  Saying  with  a  loud  voice.  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and 
honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing. 

13.  And  every  creature  that  is  in  Heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and 
under  the  earth,  and  such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them, 
heard  I  saying.  Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto 
Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and 
ever. 

14.  And  the  four  living  creatures  said.  Amen.  And  the  four 
and  twenty  elders  fell  down  and  worshipped  Him  that  liveth  for 
ever  and  ever. 

ANCIENT  books  were  scrolls,  or  rolls  of  parchment, 
made  of  prepared  skins.  There  were  seven  of 
^  these  skins  on  which  the  seven  messages  to  the 
churches  were  written.  The  first  skin  was  usually  rolled 
on  a  piece  of  wood;  and  the  rest  followed  one  upon  another. 
In  this  case,  as  each  was  rolled  on  it  was  sealed  with  wax. 
The  breaking  of  a  seal  therefore  would  loosen  but  one 
parchment  sheet,  and  reveal  but  one  message.  But  being 
written  on  the  "backside"  as  well  as  the  inside,  a  portion 
of  each  would  be  exposed  and  unsealed  as  the  outer  seals 
were  removed,  and  then  readable  at  any  time.  Prophecy 
was  never  wholly  sealed;  some  portions  were  always  open 
to  the  understanding;  and  how  beautifully 
'The  symbolized   here.     Can   we   identify   the 

Sealed  Book       ^losed  book  in  the  hand  of  God?     The 
Identified.  Q^jy  sealed  book  of  which  we  have  any 

account  is  that  w^hich  contains  the  last  or 
fourth  vision  of  the  Prophet  Daniel  (chapters  x.,  xi.,  xii.). 
Daniel  was  told  to  "shut  up  the  zvords,  and  seal  the  book, 
even  to  the  time  of  the  end" — not  the  end  of  time.     And 


CHAP.  XIII.]       THE  LAMB   AND  THE  SKAI^ED   BOOK.  1 97 

again:  "The  words  are  closed  up  and  sealed  till  the  time 
of  the  end"  (ch.  xii.  4,  9).  This  book  must  be  unsealed 
and  opened  by  the  divine  hand  which  closed  it  up,  before 
it  can  be  read  by  men.  And  since  God  both  gave  that 
wonderful  vision  to  Daniel,  and  sealed  it,  the  book  is  there- 
fore figuratively  in  the  hand,  or  within  the  power,  only  of 
Him  who  sat  upon  the  throne. 

"And  I  saw  a  strong  angel  proclaiming  with 
a  loud  voice,  Who  is  worthy  to  open  the  book, 
and  to  loose  the  seals  thereof?  " — The  strength  here 
symbolized  evidently  is  spiritual.  The  question  is  not  an 
impertinent  one,  but  a  difficult  one,  requiring  power  and- 
exercise  of  thought,  is  the  clear  inference  of  the  proclama- 
tion. For  it  was  a  loud,  frank  inquiry,  by  a  Heavenly 
agent,  intended  to  arouse  attention.  Why  will  not  all, 
who  regard  Christ  at  all,  notice  these  things  in  His  reve- 
lation, and  regard  the  words  of  the  Spirit?  This  strong 
angel  shows  a  commendable  and  typical  interest  in  the 
book;  and  so  ought  we  to  emulate  His  noble  example. 

"And  no  man." — Greek,  oudet's,  no  one  :  So  the 
Emphatic  Diaglott  and  the  Revision;  then  not  even  the 
angels,  nor  Christ,  as  we  shall  see. 

"In  Heaven,  nor  in  earth,  neither  under  the 
earth,  was  able  to  open  the  book,  neither  to  look 
thereon." — God  is  in  sole  possession  of  the  book,  and  of 
the  knowledge  it  contains.  But  when  was  this? — that  no 
one  in  Heaven  or  earth  possessed  the  sealed  knowledge 
but  God?  It  was  when  Jesus  was  on  the  earth  with  the 
Church.  Let  the  reader  recall  the  circumstances.  It  was 
after  Jesus'  sermon  in  the  temple  (Luke  xxl.),  in  which 
He  had  spoken  of  the  end  of  time,  and  of  His  coming  at 
the  last  day.  The  disciples  the  following  evening,  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  asked  Him,  saying,  "Tell  us,  when  shall 
these  things  be?  and  what  shall  be  the  sign  of  Thy  coming. 


198  DIVINE  KKY  OF  THE  RBVEI.ATION.      [part  III. 

and  of  the  end  of  the  world  {aionos,  age — Matt.  xxiv.  3). 
Jesus  promptly  answered  them,  giving  them  a  list  of  gen- 
eral signs  to  be  carefully  watched  for,  and  declaring  that 
they  were  sufficient  to  determine  for  them  when  His  com- 
ing would  be  imminent — in  His  own  words,  "at  the  doorf' 
and  as  certainly  so  as  the  budding  fig-trees  would  prove 
that  summer  is  nigh.  "But  of  that  day  and  hour/'  said 
Jesus,  "knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels  of  Heaven, 
[neither  the  Son — Mark  adds,]  but  My  Father  only"  (verse 
36).  That  was  not  saying  that  they  should  never  know 
anything  definitely  concerning  it,  by  any  means;  but  that 
it  was  at  that  time  ("knoweth"  being  of  the  present  tense) 
sealed  up  in  the  hand  of  the  Father  only;  and  only  to  be 
revealed  by  signs  on  God's  part,  and  watchfulness  on  the 
part  of  the  Church. 

"And  I  wept  much,  because  no  one  was  found 
worthy  to  open  and  to  read  the  book,  neither  to 
look  thereon." — John  was  "in  the  Spirit "  in  a  remark- 
able manner,  and  all  his  words  and  acts  are  suggested  by 
the  Spirit,  and  they  reveal  typically  what  words,  acts  and 
feelings  in  the  Chnrcl\  would  be  approved  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  And  we  are  told  that  even  the  angels  desire  to 
look  into  these  precious  items  of  sealed  knowledge  (1  Peter 
i.  11,  12).  So  here  is  a  spiritual  thermometer  by  which 
the  reader  may  test  the  warmth  or  coldness  of  his  feelings 
toward  Christ.  Nine  case  out  of  ten,  dear  reader,  the  sen- 
sitive mercury  of  the  Lord's  thermometer  stands  at  "luke- 
warm"— many  degrees  below  your  own  estimate  of  your 
spiritual  temperature — a  degree  nauseating  to  Christ,  and 
indicative  of  the  perilousncss  of  our  times  (2  Tim.  iii.  1-7). 
For  we  are  living  in  Laodicea,  as  God  gauges  us,  an  age  of 
lukewarmness  and  indifference,  yet  flattering  itself,  even 
boasting,  of  its  spiritual  wealth,  and  all-rightness  for  the 
kingdom.     It  was  not  so  with  John,  with  Ephesus  nor 


CHAP.xni.]       THE  I^AMB  AND  THB  Si^AI^ED  BOOK.  199 

Philadelphia.  There  was  an  earnest  desire  to  know  from 
the  sealed  book  its  promised  revelation:  I  call  to  wit- 
ness in  modern  history  the  efforts  of  the  Clmrch — at  least 
of  the  five  wise  virgins — even  prematurely  to  penetrate 
beneath  those  inviting  but  testing  seals  of  prophecy,  just 
as  the  parable  described,  with  the  full  approval  of  Heaven, 
while  the  foolish,  indifferent  virgins  were  fatally  disap- 
proved. John  in  our  text  had  the  earnest  prophetic  desire, 
even  to  weeping.  If  the  reader  has  none  of  this  feeling, 
he  may  well  be  alarmed  at  his  lukewarmness,  and  should 
earnestly  seek  this  fruit  of  the  Spirit. 

"And  one  of  the  elders  said  unto  me,  Weep 
not;  behold,  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Juda,  the 
Root  of  David,  hath  prevailed  to  open  the  book, 
and  to  loose  the  seven  seals  thereof." — John  is 
consoled.  Christ  appears  upon  the  scene — as  He  will  in 
answer  to  every  other  like  prayer — and  prevails.  This  is 
Jesus'  first  appearance  in  this  symbolic  view  of  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven.  He  is  the  Eevealer! — the  "Light  of  the  World!" 
and  appears  in  an  opportune  time,  when  all  others  in 
Heaven  and  earth  had  failed.  When  did  our  Lord  prevail 
to  reach  this  office  and  "power?"  When  He  walked  the 
earth  in  sorrowful  obedience,  and  departed  to  the  "far 
country"  of  the  parable — "the  enemy's  land" — deathland, 
God-forsaken  and  alone.  When  He  returned  on  the  third 
day,  triumphantly  and  gloriously  with  the  ''keys  of  death 
and  hades,"  with  the  "key  of  David,"  and  with  many 
crowns  and  rewards  of  righteousness,  as  will  now  appear. 

"And  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne  and  of  the  four  living  creatures,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  elders,  stood  a  lamb  as  it  had  been 
slain,  having  Seven  Horns  and  Seven  Eyes, 
which  are  the  Seven  Spirits  of  God  sent  forth 
into   all   the   earth." — Here    Jesus,     "the    Lamb    of 


200  DIVINE  Z^Y  OP  THE   RKVEI^ATION.      [pART  III. 

God/'  is  put  in  His  proper  place  in  this  most  apt  and  beau- 
tiful symbolism  of  the  ''kingdom  of  Heaven."  He  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  throne  of  the  Eternal,  of  the  four  glory-giving 
living  creatures,  and  the  twenty-four  royally  enrobed,  en- 
crowned,  enthroned,  yet  worshiping  elders.  And  all  this 
glory  is  rightfully  His.  Surely,  He  zuas  the  "King  of  the 
Jews,"  as  Pilate's  superscription  over  His  cross,  in  Hebrew, 
Greek  and  Latin,  said;  He  was  the  "King  of  Israel,"  as 
Natlianiel  exclaimed;  as  the  great  concourse  of  gathered 
Israelites  proclaimed  with  their  hosannahs,  when  He  rode 
to  the  last  Passover  feast  on  the  prophetic  and  untamed 
colt;  and  as  Peter  boldly  asserted  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
and  as  Paul  unwaveringly  affirmed  at  Antioch  and  main- 
tained at  Eome.  And  now  He  is  the  "King  of  Glory:" 
the  "everlasting  doors"  opened  to  Him  who  had  prevailed, 
and  He  went  in  and  took  the  antitypical  "castle  of  Zion," 
the  "holy  hill" — where  is  building  the  "city  of  David" 
again — "Jerusalem  which  is  above,"  and  which  "is  the 
mother  of  us  all,"  as  the  Apostle  says,  and  as  even  David 
exults  in  Messianic  Psalm  (xxiv). 

The  seven  horns  of  the  Lamb  are  the  seven  age-divi- 
sions of  His  Church  with  which  He  has  shared  His 
"power,"  and  to  which  He  has  distributed  the  crowns  and 
thrones  of  promise;  for  horns  like  heads  upon  a  symbolic 
beast  always  represent  so  many  divisions  of  the  original 
kingdom;  (see  Dan.  vii.  34;  viii.  30-22,  and  Eev.  xvii.  13;) 
and  no  exception  to  this  rule  can  be  logically  or  reasonably 
pleaded  here,  since  in  this  grand  symbolism  of  the  "king- 
dom of  Heaven,"  as  an  associated  reign,  is  the  only  place 
in  Scripture  where  the  "Lamb  of  God"  is  described  with 
"horns."  These  seven  horns  and  eyes  are  the  "seven  Spirits 
of  God,"  that  is,  His  divine  power,  and  light  or  truth,  run- 
ning through  the  seven  Messianic  ages. 


CHAP.  XIII.]        THE  I^AMB   AND  THE  SEAI^ED   BOOK.  201 

"And  He  came  and  took  the  book  out  of  the 
right  hand  of  Him  that  sat  upon  the  throne."- 

Jesus  has  "prevailed/'  and  as  He  said,  "All  things  that  the 
Father  hath  are  Mine"  (John  xvi.  15),  He  had  the  right 
and  the  power  with  God  to  take  that  which  He  had  pre- 
vailed to  make  His  own;  and  the  "sealed  book  is  hence- 
forth in  the  hand,  that  is,  within  the  power,  of  Christ. 

I  trust  every  reader  feels  an  inspiration  of  gladness 
and  song  at  this  prophetic  acquisition  of  our  Lord.  And 
let  us  sing  it  out: — 

"Blessed  be  the  name,  blessed  be  the  name, 
Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

This  is  the  "Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  which 
God  gave  unto  Him  to  shew  unto  His  Ser- 
The  Unseal ingr  vANTS  thiugs  zvMch  nuist  shovtly  come  to 
of  the  Book  Is  pQ^^^"  ag  -^g  gj^ai][  presently  see.  Imme- 
the  Revelation,  (jiately  on  Jcsus'  rcccption  of  the  book, 
the  living  creatures  and  the  twenty-four 
elders  fell  down  before  the  Lamb  with  harps  and  incense, 
and  the  New  Song  of  worthiness  and  praise  to  the  Lamb 
in  taking  the  book  with  a  view  to  the  opening  of  its  seals 
to  the  Church.  And  thus  they  typify  to  us  the  proper 
respect  to  be  paid  the  revelation,  and  teach  us  the  proper 
attitude  of  the  Church  toward  it.  K  the  conscience  of  the 
reader  is  quick,  and  the  heart  tender  with  love  to  Christ, 
let  me  ask  here  if  there  is  no  need  in  his  or  her  individual 
case  of  changing  the  attitude  he  or  she  has  held  toward 
prophecy  before  the  world,  as  before  God,  up  to  this  time? 
And  I  will  further  suggest  to  the  conscience  of  such  an  one 
the  question.  What  have  I  done  to  know  more  of  it  myself, 
and  that  others  may  know  more  of  it,  to  the  honor  of 
Christ,  and  to  the  Glory  of  God?  If  these  questions  are 
properly  considered  they  may  be  of  infinite  value  to  some. 


202 


DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE  REVElvATlON.       [parT  III. 


The  New  Song  continues: — 

"And  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and 
priests;  and  we  shall  REIGN  on  the  earth."— This 
was  said  at  the  reception  of  the  hook  hy  the  Lamb,  and 
before  any  of  the  seals  were  removed — at  or  immediately 
after  the  ascension  of  Jesus;  and  harmonizes  with  previous 
quotations,  showing  the  then  present,  joint  reign  of  the 
Apostles  with  Christ.  For  they  could  not  have  been 
crowned  and  made  kings  and  priests  3,000  years  before 
there  was  an  organized  kingdom  in  wEich  to  reign.  This 
reign  extends  in  a  measure  to  the  whole  Church  who  are 
reckoned  kings  and  priests,  or  as  Peter  expresses  it,  "a 
royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation''  (1  Epis.  ii.  9).  Their 
priestly  reign  is  in  connection  with  the  royal  priestly  office 
of  Christ,  when  all  are  exhorted  to  come  boldly  to  "the 
throne  of  grace"  (Heb.  iv.  15,  16),  which  will  be  vacated 
at  the  return  of  our  Lord  to  earth  and  the  giving  up  of 
the  kingdom  to  God  (1  Cor.  xv.  24-36).  It  is  a  present 
KINGDOM,  and  let  all  take  up  the  chorus  of  these  rejoicing 
priest-kings  in  ascribing  "power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom, 
and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing,"  to  the 
great  King. 


PART  FOURTH. 


OPENING  OF  THE  SEVEN  SEALS  IN  OEDER,  AND 
WHAT  FOLLOWED  EACH. 

''Come  and  See!" 

CHAPTER  XIV.— THE  FIRST  THREE  SEALS. 

I.    THE  FIRST  SEAL  OPENED—  THE  WINGED  LION 
AND  THE  WHITE  HORSE. 

n.    THE    SECOND     SEAL     OPENED— THE    WINGED 
CALF  AND   THE   RED    HORSE. 

in.    THE    THIRD    SEAL    OPENED— THE    "FACE    AS 
A  MAN"  AND  THE   BLACK   HORSE. 

CHAPTER  XV.— FOURTH  AND  FIFTH  SEALS. 

IV.    THE    FOURTH     SEAL    OPENED— THE    FLYING 
EAGLE,  DEATH  AND  THE  PALE  HORSE. 

V.    THE     FIFTH     SEAL     OPENED— SLAIN     SOULS 
UNDER  THE  ALTAR,   AND    HADES. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

VI.  THE    SIXTH    SEAL    OPENED— GREAT    EARTH- 
QUAKE,    DARKENED     SUN,     MOON,     AND 

FALLING  STARS. 

CHAPTER  XVII:— SIXTH  SEAL  CONTINUED. 
FOUR  ANGELS   HOLD   THE   WINDS. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

VII.  THE     SEVENTH     SEAL     OPENED  — A     HALF 

HOUR'S    SILENCE    IN    HEAVEN. 

CHAPTER  XIX.— THE  TARDY  EVENTS  OF  THE 

SEVENTH  SEAL. 

THE  MIGHTY   RAINBOW  ANGEL. 

CHAPTER  XX.— SEVENTH  SEAL  CONTINUED. 
THE   LITTLE   OPEN   BOOK. 


PART  FOUETH. 


CHAPTER  XIV.— FIRST  THREE  SEALS. 

I.  THE  FIRST  SEAL  OPENED— THE  WINGED  LION 
AND  THE  WHITE  HORSE. 

THE  APOSTOLIC  AGE — FROM  THE  ASCENSION,  A.  D.   30,  TO 
THE  BURNING  OF   ROME   UNDER   NERO,  A.  D.    64. 

Text,  Chapter  vi.  1,  2. 

1.  And  I  saw  when  the  Lamb  opened  one  of  the  seals,  and  I 
heard,  as  it  were  the  noise  of  thunder,  one  of  the  four  living 
creatures  saying.  Come  and  see. 

2.  And  I  saw,  and  behold  a  white  horse :  and  he  that  sat  on 
him  had  a  bow ;  and  a  crown  was  given  unto  him  ;  and  he  went 
forth  conquering,  and  to  conquer. 

IN  EACH  case,  one  seal  is  broken  at  a  time,  as  first, 
second,   third,  etc.,   which  shows   their   consecutive 
order,  as  in  the  base  of  the  seven  churches. 
"The  noise  of  thunder." — Loud  and  bold — de- 
signed to  command  the  attention  of  all,  as  of  necessity. 
It  was  the  voice  of  the  Church  quickly  responding  to  Jesus' 
act  in  breaking  a  seal — 

"One  of  the  four  living  creatures  saying, 
COME  AND  SEE."— This  was  evidently  the  first  of  the 
four,  described  in  chapter  iv.  to  be  "like  a  lion;"  for  those 
which  follow  are  called  the  second  ("like  a  calf);  the  third 
(with  the  "face  as  a  man");  the  fourth  ("like  a  flying 
eagle"),  in  order.  Besides  the  living  creatures  should  come 
in  this  order  to  correctly  represent  the  first  four  epochs 
of  Church  history,  as  will  appear  by  reference  to  the  dia- 

204 


CHAP.  XIV.]  EPOCH   OF  THE   FIRST  SEAL.  205 

gram  (of  seals).  The  first  or  Ephesian  epoch  had  the  char- 
acteristic courage  and  strength  of  the  lion,  the  king  of 
beasts;  that  is,  the  most  striking  feature  in  the  character  of 
the  Apostolic  Church  was  quick,  strong  intrepid  action; 
and  the  other  epochs  will  be  found  as  aptly  illustrated  by 
their  respective  symbols.  Not  only  the  loud  tone  of  voice 
but  the  appeal  of  the  living  creature  is  a  call  to  attention. 
How  can  there  be  indifference  to  the  Spirit's  invitation  to 
"Come  and  see?''  ' 

"And  I  saw,  and  behold  a  white  horse."— The 
living  creatures  which  represent,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
Church — the  "kingdom  of  Heaven,"  the  succession  of  eccle- 
siastical powers — are  seen  in  the  highest  portion  of  the  dia- 
gram of  the  seals, — "in  Heaven,"  as  the  symbol  is  termed, 
— in  contrast  with  the  lower  portion — "the  earth,"  where 
the  horses,  the  civil  or  world-powers  are  seen.  Thus  when 
the  war  occurred  "m  Heaven"  i.  e.,  in  the  sphere  of  the 
Church,  for  it  was  a  religious  war,  the  dragon  (which  was 
never  in  any  other  than  a  symbolic  heaven)  was  said  to  be 
"cast  down  to,"  and  "cast  out  into,  the 
Heaven  and  earth,"  i.  e.,  into  a  lower  and  subordinate 
Eartb,  the  condition.     For  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is 

chnrch-  and  ^^q  highest  authority  in  the  world.  Thus 
worid-Power,  Heaveu  and  earth,  the  Church-  and  the 
Contrasted.  world-power  are  put  in  symbolic  contrast, 

in  order  to  show  John  "the  things  [eccle- 
siastical and  political]  which  must  come  to  pass  hereafter." 

It  is  certain  also  from  their  work  that  the  horses  and 
their  riders  represent  the  earthly  or  political  powers — there 
is  no  song  of  praise  heard  from  them,  as  from  the  living 
creatures.  Wliite  is  a  symbol  of  purity — not  necesarily 
religious  purity:  there  may  be  purity  in  a  political  party. 
But  by  most,  if  not  all  the  older  writers,  the  zuhite  horse 
has  been  supposed  to  symbolize  Christianity,  and  its  rider, 


206  DIVINE)   KKY   OF  THK   Ri^VE^I, ATlON .      [part  IV 

Christ.  They  bring  forward  the  white  horse  of  chapter  xix. 
as  a  plausible  parallel.  But  they  fail  to  observe  the  very 
different  conditions  in  the  two  symbolisms.  In  chapter 
xix.,  the  white  horse  and  rider  are  as  clearly  described  as 
Heavenly  characters  as  are  the  living  creatures.  The  sword 
of  the  rider  proceeds  out  of  His  mouth,  hence  the  Word — 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  His  name  is  called  the  "Word  of 
God,  and  His  vesture  was  dipped  in  blood.  It  is  plainly 
Christ;  and  His  opposers  are  "the  beast,  and  the  kings  of 
the  earth  and  their  armies."  Besides  the  Church,  in  this 
connection,  had  already  been  identified  in  the  living  crea- 
tures, full  of  eyes,  light,  and  which  were  praising  God  day 
and  night.  How  can  the  horses  represent  the  Church  also? 
There  would  be  nothing  then  left  to  represent  the  world- 
power  or  foes  of  the  Church.  The  white  horse  is  a  symbol 
of  the  Eoman  empire,  which  could  be  as  pure  in  its  own 
sphere  as  the  Church  in  hers;  for  "the  powers  that  be  are 
ordained  of  God"  (Eom.  xiii.  1).  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
color  of  the  horses  changes  as  the  eras  change,  and  the 
empire  changes  its  attitude  toward  the  Church. 

In  the  Ephesian  or  Apostolic  epoch,  the  period  of  the 
first  seal,  Eome  had  not  stained  its  robes  with  the  blood 
of  the  saints.  Pilate,  the  Eoman  Governor,  washed  his 
hands  in  the  presence  of  Jesus'  enemies,  as  innocent  of  his 
death.  That  was  Jewish  and  not  Eoman  persecution.  The 
historian  thus  describes  the  first  period: — 

"  In  the  30th  year  before  Christ,  the  724th  from  the  building 
of  Rome,   commenced   the  imperial  reign  of 
History  of  the        Octavius,  under  the  titles  of  Emperor  and  Au- 
First  Period.  gustus.     *  *  *    The  Roman   empire  now  ap- 

peared in  its  utmost  splendor.     *  *  *    In  the 
30th  year  of  the  reign  of  Augustus,  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 

was  born. 

"The  principal  nations  of  the  known  world  being  reduced 
under  one  head,  and  wars  and  commotions,  revolving  through  long 
tracts  of  time,  now  terminating  in  one  immense  dominion,  the 


CHAP.  XIV.]  EPOCH   OF  THE   FIRST  SEAI,.  207 

troubled  elements  of  human  society  sunk  into  an  universal  cahn. 
Thirst  for  conquest  was  satiated  with  blood  ;  the  ambition  of  one 
man  was  gratified  while  that  of  millions  was  left  without  hope. 
The  spirit  of  war,  wearied  with  universal  and  almost  perpetual 
carnage,  seemed  willing  to  enjoy  a  moment's  slumber,  or  was 
hushed  to  silence  by  the  advent  of  the  Prince  of  Peace." — Whelp- 
ley's  Conipend  of  Hist.,Vo\.  I,  pp.  198-201. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  white  horse  is  the 
empire  in  peace,  but  especially  in  peace 
Tiie  Temple  of  ^^^h  the  Chiirch— before  its  persecutions 
Janus  Closed,  ^^ggan.  "The  Spirit  of  war"  in  the  Apos- 
tolic age  slept.  The  temple  of  Janus,  the 
heathen  god  which  had  two  faces,  and  was  supposed  to 
have  some  influence  over  war,  was  closed  at  this  same  time. 
The  shepherds  on  the  Judean  mountains  heard  the  angel- 
song  on  the  night  of  our  Lord's  birth:  "Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest  Heavens,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  among 
men."  It  was  a  fit  time  for  the  birth  of  the  Prince  of  peace, 
the  Son  of  God.  Did  this  all  happen  by  a  mere  chance  of 
events?  or  had  the  Almighty,  who  sealed  the  vision  of 
Daniel  five  centuries  before,  with  a  purpose  foredetermined 
this  condition  of  things  as  introductory  to  the  age  of 
"grace,  mercy  and  peace?" 

"And  he  that  sat  on  him  had  a  bow ;  and  a 
crown  was  G-IVEN  unto  him;  and  he  went 
forth  conquering  and  to  conquer." — The  horse  being 
the  empire,  the  crowned  rider  would  symbolize  the  em- 
peror. It  will  be  noticed  that  the  crown,  or  ofl&ce,  was 
given  unto  him;  so  it  is  with  all  the  Powers  of  this  book 
and  of  the  world;  and  we  shall  learn  that  God,  through 
judgments  or  blessings,  is  back  of  all  history,  causing  the 
wrath  of  men  to  praise  Him,  and  restraining  the  remainder. 
On  account  of  his  pride,  God  drove  the  great  king  of  Baby- 
lon out  from  his  gilded  palace,  and  out  from  among  men, 
to  eat  grass  as  oxen  for  seven  years,  "till  his  hairs  were 


208  DIVINK   KEY   OF  THE  REVEI.ATION,      [part  I  v. 

grown  like  eagle's  feathers,  and  his  nails  like  bird's  claws" 
— "till  thou  shalt  know,"  said  God,  "that  the  most  High 
ruleth  in  the  kingdom  of  men,  and  giveth  it  to  whomsoever 
He  will;  and  until  "thou  shalt  have  known  that  the  Heavens 
do  rule"  (Dan.  iv.  25,  26). 


II.  THE  SECOND  SEAL  OPENED— THE  WINGED 
CALF  AND  THE  EED  HORSE. 

PAGAN    PERSECUTIONS — FROM    NERO,    A.    D.    64, 

TO     THE     EDICT    OF    MILAN,     UNDER 

CONSTANTINE,    A.    D.    313. 

Text,  Chapter  vi.  3,  4. 

3.  And  wheu  He  had  opened  the  second  seal,  I  heard  the 
second  living  creature  say,  Come  and  see. 

4.  And  there  went  out  another  horse  that  was  red  :  andi  power 
was  given  to  him  that  sat  thereon  to  take  peace  from  the  earth, 
and  that  they  should  kill  one  another  ;  and  there  was  given  unto 
him  a  great  sword. 

^  I  HE  scene  is  greatly  changed.  The  lion-like  courage 
■^  of  the  ChurclP,  and  the  white-horse  indifference 
of  the  empire  is  displaced  in  the  symbols  for  the 
yielding,  submissive  calf,  and  the  red  and  bloody  horse 
and  his  furious  rider.  And,  again,  the  watchful  living 
creature  calls — 

"  Come  and  see." — The  Church  is  faithful  still  to 
the  work  of  Christ,  and  calls  the  attention  of  all  to  the 
broken  seal.  The  second  living  creature  was  "like  a  calf:" 
a  non-resistant  animal,  a  creature  of  slaughter.  The  prin- 
cipal characteristics  of  the  history  of  this  epoch — most 
fitly  symbolized — is  sacrifice;  "faithfulness  unto  death,"  as 
has  been  shown  in  connection  with  the  Smyrniot  church. 


CHAP.  XIV.]        EPOCH   OF  THE  SECOND  SEAL.  209 

"And  there  went  out  another  horse  that  was 
red." — A  great  change  has  taken  place  in  the  empire,  and 
the  changed  color  of  the  horse,  in  harmony  with  the  change 
in  the  living  creature,  is  the  emblem  of  persecution — the 
horse  is  red  with  blood.  Power  is  given 
The  Great  ^q  j-^^q  rider  to  take  peace  from  the  earth; 

Sword  was  ^^^  g^  great  sword  ivas  given  unto  him. 

Given  by  Jesus,  q^^q^  |)y  whom?  It  could  be  by  none 
other  than  Him  in  whom  "all  power  in 
Heaven  and  earth"  was  at  the  time  vested,  namely,  Jesus; 
for  He  declared  Himself  thus  endowed  after  His  resurrec- 
tion, and  made  it  the  basis  of  the  great  Gospel  Commission 
(Matt,  xxviii.  18-20).  For  what  purpose  was  such  power 
delegated  to  a  heathen  emperor?  Jesus  was  following  out 
the  plan  of  His  Father,  who  gave  His  beloved  and  only- 
begotten  Son  up  to  a  cruel  death.  "In  bringing  many  sons 
unto  glory,"  He  chose  to  make  the  Captain  of  their  salva- 
tion ''perfeet  through  suffering"  (Heb.  ii.  10).  A  note  in 
the  Cottage  Bible  quotes  the  following  history  concerning 
this  remarkable  change  in  the  empire.  The  historian  is 
speaking  of  the  persecution  of  Christians  inaugurated  by 
Diocletian,  and  writes  thus: — 

"  This  persecution  was  both  more  sanguinary  and  more  exten- 
sive than  any  of    the   preceding :    its  avowed 
A  Dreadful  object  being  nothing  short  of  the  utter  extirpa- 

Peraecutlon.  tion  of  Christianity.     The   places  of  Christian 

worship  were  everywhere  demolished,  Bibles 
destroyed,  and  an  immense  number  of  Christians  martyred.  '  It 
were  endless  and  almost  incredible,  (says  Mr.  Echard,)  to  enum- 
erate the  variety  of  their  sufferings  and  torments :  they  were 
scourged  to  death,  had  their  flesh  torn  off  with  pincers,  and 
mangled  with  broken  pots  ;  they  were  cast  to  lions,  tigers,  and 
other  wild  beasts  ;  they  were  burnt  alive,  beheaded,  crucified, 
thrown  into  the  sea,  roasted  with  slow  fires,  and  holes  were  made 
in  their  bodies  for  melted  lead  to  be  poured  into  their  bowels.' 
"The  number  of  Christians  [see  three  million  martyrs,  page 


2IO  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.        [PART  IV. 

8i]  who  suffered  during  this  period  led  their  enemies  to  flatter 
themselves  that  they  had  extirpated  Christianity  ;  and  a  pillar  is 
said  to  have  been  erected  in  Spain  to  the  honor  of  Diocletian, 
with  an  inscription  to  this  effect,  that  he  had  everywhere  abolished 
the  superstition  of  Christ,  and  extended  the  worship  of  the  gods. 
Another  pillar  in  the  same  country  is  stated  to  have  borne  a  similar 
inscription ;  and  a  medal  in  honor  of  the  same  tyrant  still  exists, 
with  this  motto :  '  The  name  of  Christians  being  extinguished. ' ' ' — 
Notes  on  ch.  vi. 

Peace  was  indeed  taken  from  the  earth,  but  not  Chris- 
tianity. The  enemies  of  Christ  were  reck- 
christianity,  oning  entirely  without  their  host.  The 
Sword-Proof.  piUars  exist  only  in  name  to-day;  while 
Christianity  has  encircled  the  world  with 
Bibles  and  missionaries.  The  name  of  Diocletian  is  held  in 
merited  execration,  and  his  honor  has  perished  with  the 
pillars  that  celebrated  it;  while  the  name  of  Christ  is  the 
most  precious  name  in  all  history  to  millions  of  earth's 
purest  minds  and  brightest  intellects;  and  His  honor  is 
sung  in  all  lands  and  in  all  languages  of  eartl^and  by  the 
choirs  of  Heaven;  and  is  as  enduring  as  the  pillars  of 
Heaven.  The  reader  will  see  that  the  prophetico-historic 
epochs,  as  seen  in  thfe  messages  to  Ephesus  and  Smyrna, 
and  in  the  first  and  second  seals,  agree  most  perfectly. 


III.  THE  THIRD  SEAL  OPENED— THE  "FACE  AS 
A  MAN,"  AND  THE  BLACK  HORSE. 

THE   APOSTATIZING   PERIOD — FROM    CONSTANTINE, 
A.    D.     313,    TO    THE    NEW    CODE 

JUSTINIAN,  A.   D.   529.  ] 

Text,  Chapter  vi.  5,  6. 
5.  And  when  He  had  opened  the  third  seal,  I  heard  the  third 
living  creature  say.  Come  and  see.     And  I  beheld,  and  lo  a  black 
horse  ;  and  he  that  §at  on  him  had  a  pair  of  balances  in  his  hand. 


CHAP    XIV.]         KPOCH    OF   THE    THIRD   SEAL.  211 

6.  And  I  heard  a  voice  in  the  midst  of  the  four  living  creatures 
say,  A  measure  of  wheat  for  a  penny,  and  three  measures  of  barley 
for  a  penny  ;  and  see  thou  hurt  not  the  oil  and  the  wine. 

A  WONDERFUL  change  has  again  spread  over  the 
empire.  The  red  horse  and  the  great  sword  of  its 
<^  bloody  rider  have  disappeared.  The  horse  is 
black,  and  its  rider  carries  a  pair  of  balances — the  symbol 
of  justice;  but  his  appearance  cautions  us,  and  the  living 
creature,  of  many  eyes,  calls — 

"Come  and  see." — The  living  creature  that  speaks 
now  is  as  greatly  changed  as  is  the  horse  and  rider — from 
having  the  appearance  of  a  "calf,"  it  now  presents  "a  face 
as  a  man" — a  most  singular  figure,  reminding  its  of  the 
Babylonian  lion  which  had  a  "man's  heart"  (Dan.  vii.  4), 
and  the  eleventh  horn  of  the  "terrible"  beast  that  had 
"eyes  like  the  eyes  of  man,  and  a  mouth  speaking  great 
things"  (verse  8) :  the  heart  of  man  represents  his  pride  and 
ambition  (Dan.  v.  20;  Eze.  xxxi.  10);  his  eye  is  "an  evil 
eye"  (Mark  vii.  21,  22),  and,  with  his  boasting  mouth,  rep- 
resents perverted  human  wisdom.  His  face  is  suggestive  of 
wily  human  prudence,  in  direct  contrast  with  the  docility 
of  the  calf,  and  a  proper  child-like  trust  in  God  and  sub- 
mission to  chastisements  and  judgments. 

"And  I  beheld,  and  lo  a  black  horse." — Black  is 
the  symbol  of  calamity.  And  the  change  from  the  red  horse 
to  the  black  denotes  the  cessation  of  persecution  and  the 
visitation  of  judgments  for  the  same.  It  corresponds  with 
the  third  epoch  of  Church  history, — the  Constantinian, — 
Avhich  is  very  clearly  marked.  The  historian,  in  describing 
this  period,  says: —  v 

"At  his  [Constantine's]  death,  337,  the  empire  was  divided 
among  his  sons  who,  unhappily,  quarreled  among  themselves, 
whereby  the  empire  was  so  weakened  as  not  to  be  able  to  resist  the 
numerous  hordes  of  barbarians  by  which  it  was  surrounded. 


212  DIVINE   KEY   OP  THE   REVELATION.       [parT  iv. 

"At  the  same  time  the  Christian  Church  became  infested  with 

all  the  vices  of  the  state — ambition,  jealousy , 

Tlie  "Face  dupHcity,  and   a   spirit  of  hostility  still  more 

as  a  Man."  criminal  among  those  who  bear  the  name  of 

Christians  than  among  heathen  governments." 

—  Cottage  Bible,  Note  on  Rev.  viii.  7,  8. 

In  this  extract  we  have  a  reference  not  only  to  the 
calamitous  division,  weakness,  and  barbarian  sources  of  the 
"decline"  of  the  Eoman  empire,  (which  at  last  wrought  out 
its  "fall,"  and  forms  the  subject  of  Gibbon's  great  history,) 
but  to  the  human  face  of  the  living  creature:  the  linea- 
ments of  the  face  could  not  be  better  depicted  than  by  the 
words  "amhitimi,  jealousy,  duplicity"  (or  double-dealing), 
which  is  so  easily  read  in  the  faces  of  some  men.  These 
descriptive  words  seem  to  have  sprung  almost  by  inspira- 
tion from  the  historic  pen,  to  assist  us  both  in  identifying 
the  living  creature,  and  in  appreciating  the  singular  sym- 
bol of  its  face.  The  corruption  of  the  Church  in  this  period 
through  these  typical  qualities  are  forcibly  stated  by  Mr. 
Whelpley,  in  the  extract  quoted  on  pages  86  and  87.  And 
further,  relative  to  the  calamities  symbolized  by  the  black 
color  of  the  horse,  we  Jiave  this  from  Kotteck: — 

"In  the  commencement  of  this  period  [a.d.  395  to  800]  the 
Roman  name  fills  up  still  the  greatest  part  of 
Rotteck  on  the  the  historical  world.  But  the  immense  realm 
Black  Color.  is  now  divided  into  two  parts,  the  Western  and 

Eastern,  of  which  the  former  is  brought  by  in- 
ternal disease  and  external  storms  to  a  speedy  fall,  the  latter  after 
an  almost  miraculous  destiny,  continues  its  existence,  yi?r  the  most 
part  miserable,  yet  for  many  centuries.  *  *  * 

"  In  the  North  the  diverse  and  multinominal  swarms  of  Ger- 
mans, Sarmatians  and  Sythians  move  around  like  the  threatening 
clouds  of  a  tempest,  and  fulfill,  by  their  contemporaneous  shock, 
the  destiny  which  had  so  long  hung  over  Rome,  and  change  sud- 
denly THE  ASPECT  OF  THE  WORLD.  *  *  *  The  Eastern  empire 
also  had  to  see  the  greater  part  of  its  provinces  desolated  by  the 
barbarians ;   some  of  the  Northern  provinces  were  entirely  lost. 


CHAP.  XIV.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  THIRD  S:^AL.  213 

All  the  tribes  of  the  Goths  ravaged  the  countries  of  the  Danube 
and  the  Hsemus  before  their  Western  expeditions." — Hist,  of  the 
World,  Yo\.  II.,  p.  II. 

How  well  the  black  fits  the  horse  during  such  a  his- 
tory.     Only  inspiration  could  have  foreseen  it. 

"And  he  that  sat  on  him  had  a  pair  of  bal- 
ances in  his  hand," — Not  that  the  sword  of  the  former 
rider  was  entirely  abandoned,  but  his  use  of  it  against  the 
Church  was,  and  the  balances  become  more  typical  than 
the  sword  in  the  formulation  of  the  characteristic  history 
of  this  epoch.  The  use  of  the  balances  was  also  perverted 
by  the  pretender,  so  that  in  his  hand  they  come,  as  we  shall 
find,  to  typify  the  creeds  which  we  found  in  Pergamos — 
the  corresponding  age-symbol.  We  have  seen  that  Con- 
stantine  was  instrumental  in  substituting  the  first  creed 
for  the  Word  itself.  And  here  is  another  wording  of  his- 
tory that,  in  view  of  the  symbol, reads  like  an  inspiration: — 
"Such  was  the  rise  and  progress,  and  such  were  the  natural 

revolutions  of  those  theological  disputes,  which 
Gibbon  on  disturbed  the  peace  of  Christianity  under  the 

the  Balances.  reigns  of  Constantine  and  of  his  sons.     But  as 

those  princes  presumed  to  extend  their  des- 
potism over  the  faith,  as  well  as  over  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  their 
subjects,  the  weight  of  their  suffrage  sometimes  inclined  the  ec- 
clesiastical balance :  and  the  prerogatives  oi  the  King  0/ Heaven 
were  settled,  or  changed,  or  modified,  in  the  cabinet  of  an  earthly 
monarch.'" — Decline  and  Fall,  etc.,  Yo\.  II.,  ch.  21,  p.  325. 

Gibbon,  the  infidel,  who  said  so  many  sarcastic  things 
concerning  Christianity,  (it  must  be  con- 
infldei  Wrath  fgggg^  ^j^^t  he  had  as  a  basis  of  his  bitter- 
Praises  God.  j^ggg  j^any  damaging  inconsistencies  in  the 
Church,)  had  no  idea  of  the  importance 
of  his  testimony  as  answering  the  prediction  of  Christ.  In 
this  case,  with  the  one  just  previously  mentioned,  and 
several  that  will  follow  in  the  course  of  this  exposition,  no 
person  who  is  first  familiar  with  the  Word  of  prophecy  can 


214  DIVINE   KKY   OF  THE   REVELA'TION.        [part  iv. 

read  these  remarkable,  if  not  inspired,  words  of  history 
without  associating  them.     And  here  is  seen  the  power 
of  God  to  cause  the  wrath  of  men  to  praise  Him,  as  well  in 
those  who  record  history  as  in  those  who  project  its  events. 
"A  measure  of  wheat  for  a  penny,  and  three 
measures  of  barley  for  a  penny."— Was  Constantine 
selling  provisions  by  the  pint?    Literalists  and  those  who 
confess  their  Christology  to  have  been  settled  by  the  Coun- 
cils of  Nice,  Ephesus  and  Chalcedon,  will  find  some  diffi- 
culty in  reconciling  the  retail  grocery  business  with  the 
dignity  of  the  Eoman  emperor,  with  his  history,  or  with 
the  Scriptures.    It  is  better  to  confess  this  to  be  a  sale  of 
symbolic  breadstuffs,  and  take  the  consequences  of  the  only 
rational  interpretation  that  can  be  put  upon  it.    Constan- 
tine and  his  sons  were  extending  "their  dominion  over  the 
faith  as  well  as  over  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  their  sub- 
jects."   They  were  doling  out  small  pittances  of  the  Book, 
"every  zvord"  of  which,  Jesus  declared,  should  be  for  man's 
food.    This  is  the  secret  of  the  human  face  which  the  living 
creature  had.    It  was  human  wisdom  interfering  with  the 
divine  arrangement.    God  gave  the  whole  Word  to  all  men, 
and  equal  rights  to  all  to  study,  understand  and  obey  it 
according  to  the  dictates  of  their  individual  consciences. 
Creed-makers  were  diverting  attention  from  the  Bible, 
and  hindering  its  free  and  independent  personal  study. 
They  were  weighing  out  the  doctrines  of  "Jezebel,"  which 
God  condemns,  and  pronounces  "the  depths  of  satan,  as 
they  speak."    But  as  surely  as  they  were  giving  out  any- 
thing, they  were  promulgating  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity, 
the  preexistence  of  Christ  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
All  history  attests  this;  and  all  the  Bible  attests  that  they 
were  putting  falsities  for  truths,  and  heresies  for  ortho- 
doxy. 


CHAP.  XIV.]  EPOCH    OF   THE   THIRD   SEAI,.  215 

"And  see  thou  hurt  not  the  oil  and  the  wine." 

— The  oil  and  wine  would  stand  for  the  most  precious 
truths.  And  here  is  a  pious  solicitude^  on  the  part  of  the 
creed-makers  for  "the  truth"  or  what  they  think  or  wish 
to  be  the  truth.    They  have  never  lacked  it.    Rome  in  her 

bloodiest  days  was  as  clamorous  for,  and  as 
over-Piotis  piously   solicltous   about,   "the  truth"   as 

soiicitnae.  Mohammed,  and  yet  the  seal  of  neither 

made  him  right.  To  be  right  one  must  be 
right  with  God,  before  zeal  wnll  be  counted  a  virtue.  This 
is  illustrated  also  by  the  bulls  of  the  popes  against  Bible 
societies,  lest  the  minds  of  the  common  people  be  demoral- 
ized through  the  "Word  as  given  by  the  Holy  Spirit!  God 
was  displeased  with  the  Pergamenians,  how  could  He  be 
pleased  with  the  living  creature  that  had  not  only  the 
"face  as  a  man,"  but  a  man's  presumption,  to  reply  and 
explain  when  God  has  spoken.  The  two  symbols  are  quite 
unlike  in  appearance,  but  in  signification  are  practically 
identical. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    OPENING    OF    THE    FOUETH   AND    FIFTH 

SEALS. 

IV.  THE  FOUETH  SEAL  OPENED— THE  FLYING 
EAGLE,  DEATH  AND  THE  PALE  HOESE. 

APOSTASY    AND    NICOLAITANISM    PERFECTED — FROM    JUS- 
TINIAN,   A.     D.     529,    TO    THE    PROTESTANT 
LEAGUE,   A.    D.    1529. 

Text,  Chapter  vi.  7,  8. 

7.  And  when  He  had  opened  the  fourth  seal,  I  heard  the  voice 
of  the  fourth  living  creature  say,  Come  and  see. 

8.  And  I  looked,  and  behold  a  pale  horse  :  and  his  name  that 
sat  on  him  was  Death,  and  Hell  followed  with  him.  And  power 
was  given  unto  them  over  the  fourth  part  of  the  earth,  to  kill  with 
sword,  and  with  hunger,  and  with  death,  and  with  the  (Gr.  therion) 
wild  beasts  of  the  earth. 

TRIKING  changes  again  appear  in  the  imperio-eccle- 
siastical  heavens.  The  living  creature  becomes 
a  six-winged  "flying  eagle,"  and  the  calamities  fore- 
shadowed in  the  black  horse  have  culminated  in  the  pallor 
of  death  over  the  horse  of  this  period:  Death  is  its  rider, 
and  hades,  the  grave,  follows,  i.  e.,  when  the  next  change 
shall  come.     Again  the  living  creature  calls  to — 

"  Come  and  see." — This  call,  then,  comes  from  the 
eagle.    As  the  lion  is  the  king  of  beasts,  the  eagle  is  the 

216 


CHAP.  XV.]    EPOCH  OF  THE  FOURTH  SEAI,.         217 

king  of  birds.  Its  chief  characteristics  are  strength  and 
timidity.  As  a  bird  it  has  the  strength  of  a  lion,  but  not 
a  lion's  courage.  It  is  the  most  timid  of  all  creatures  of 
its  strength.  It  swoops  down  upon  its  prey,  and  hies  away 
to  the  highest  perches  and  craggy  peaks  of  the  moun- 
tains. It  therefore  symbolizes  Mght,  and  that  people 
whom  Jesus  exhorted  to  "flee  to  the  mountains"  (Matt. 
xxiv.  15,  16). 

"And  I  looked,  and  behold  a  pale  horse." — 
Pallor  is  the  symbol  of  death.  The  persecutions  of  the 
second  epoch  brought  the  calamities  to  the  empire  in  the 
third  epoch,  and  they  in  turn  wrought  death  to  State 
Imperialism  in  this  fourth  epoch.  The  empire,  as  such, 
is  dead;  and  the  pale  horse's  rider  is  Death — Death  astride 
a  dead  Imperialism  or  "harse."  Can  this  be  made  clear? 
Let  us  study  it  and  try. 

The  fourth  epoch  of  Church  history  is  the  Justinian 
period,  as  we  have  seen,  harmonizing  with  the  Thyatirian 
age;  and  it  is  not  less  clearly  marked  than  were  the  second 
and  third  epochs.  It  commences,  as  is  indicated  in  the 
heading  of  this  chapter  in  a.  d.  529, — the  completion  of 
the  Justinian  Code  of  Laws, — as  will  be  explained  when 
we  reach  chapter  xiii.,  and  continues  to  the  formation  of 
the  Protestant  League  in  a.  d.  1529 — just  one  thousand 
years.  Church  and  State  were  formally  united,  in  this 
epoch,  as  was  shown  in  Thyatirian  history.  In  the  third 
period  Pergamos  and  Constantine  embraced  and  plighted 
loves;  and  in  the  fourth,  Thyatira  and  Justinian  were 
as  formally  as  illegally  married.  It  was  a  plain  case  of 
"fornication  with  the  kings  of  the  earth,"  for  the  Church 
was  legally  married  to  Christ.  He  was  her  sole  legal 
Counselor,  Guide  and  Protector.  But  she  leaned  on  the 
arm  of  the  State;  and  after  the  calamities  to  the  empire 


il8  DIVINE    KEY    of   the   REVEIvAI^ION.       [PAkT  rV, 

of  the  third  epoch,  the  power  of  the  State  was  gradually 
sequestrated  by  the  Church,  and  for  1,260  years  (a.  d. 
529-1789)  the  Eoman  empire,  proper,  was  practically  dead, 

and  for  1,000  years  was  completely  so.  In 
A  Prophetic  ^j^g  j^^h  chapter  we  read  about  the  beast 
Paradox.  "that  wos,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is"  (verse 

8),  being  ridden  by  a  woman  whom  we 
recognize  as  Jczcbcl.  It  is  this  same  pale  beast  having 
death  for  its  rider:  seen  here  from  the  standpoint  of  its 
present  subordination  to  the  riding  power;  but  in  that 
place  as  a  scarlet-colored  beast,  from  the  standpoint  of  its 
persecutions  in  obedience  to  its  rider.  Death.  So  that  to 
have  a  clear  view  of  this  paradoxical  dead  and  Death- 
ridden  beast,  it  must  be  seen  in  three  lights: — 

I.  The  horse  or  "beast  that  was" — white,  red,  etc. 

II.  The  pale  horse,  or  beast  that  "is  not"  (because  of 
its  rider  that  is). 

III.  The  future  condition  of  the  beast  indicated  by 
the  words,  "and  yet  is,"  and,  "shall  ascend  out  of  the  bot- 
tomless pit"  (which  must  be  reserved  to  its  place  in  the 
17th  and  20th  chapters). 

I.  As  to  the  horse  or  beast  that  "was,"  we  have  al- 
ready sketched  its  history,  as  it  affects  the  Church,  in  con- 
nection with  the  white,  red  and  black  horses — Pagan 
Rome  in  its  Christian-Era  phases;  and  it  is  only  for  classi- 
fication, and  simplifying  the  apparent  difficulties,  that  it 
needs  mentioning  at  this  time.  Old  Pagan  Eome  "was" 
the  greatest  power  of  the  world  during  the  Ephesian  and 
Smyrniot  periods.  But  it  weakened  through  division  and 
judgments,  during  the  Pergamenian  or  black-horse  period, 
as  has  been  shown  from  Gibbon,  Kotteck  and  Whelpley. 

II.  That  the  "pale  horse"  correctly  symbolizes  the 
death  of  the  empire,  historians  confirm.     Rotteck  says: — 


CHAP.  XV.]    EPOCH  OF  THE  FOURTH  SEAI,.         219 

"  In  the  sixth  century,  under  Justinian  M.,  the  heroic  glory  of 
Rome  seemed   to   flourish  anew   through  the 
Rotteck  on  the       genius  of  Belisarius  and  Narses.     But  it  was  a 
Pale  Color.  fleeting  glimmer.     The  old  causes  of  decay  re- 

maining— degeneracy  and  internal  dissolution. ' ' 
— Hist,  of  the  World,  Vol.  2.,  p.  13. 

"We  will  yet  add  to  the  general  picture  of  the  character  of 
this  period  some  principal  traits.  The  world  remained  divided, 
although  unequally,  between  Roman  degenerac}'  and  northern 
barbarianism.  *  *  *  The  monuments  of  art  and  industry,  the 
traces  of  opulence  and  taste,  vanish  ;  the  constant  residences  of  a 
dense  population,  the  sources  of  sociality,  and  the  higher  culture 
of  man,  the  cities,  sink  into  the  dust.  In  the  vast  empire  of  Attila, 
there  was  not  a  single  city;  half  of  Europe  served  for  pasture- 
grounds  for  the  encampments  of  unsettled  hordes  of  Cabnucts. 
*  *  *  Upon  the  whole,  after  the  fall  of  the  Western  empire, 
Europe  is  in  a  wild  and  desolate  state.  Places  of  conflagration, 
heaps  of  ruins,  vast  deserts  mark  the  coiirse  of  the  migrating 
nations  and  the  misfortune  of  the  times." — lb.,  pp.  16,  17. 
(Italics  mine.) 

Let  me  add  Mr.  Whelpley's  testimony  which  is  to  the 
same  effect  as  the  above: — 

"From  the  fall  of  the  Roman  empire,  a  period  of  darkness 
ensued,  equally  dreadful  for  its  length  and  for 
Wiielpley  con-  the  number  and  greatness  of  its  calamities  upon 
firms  Rotteck.  mankind.  To  trace  the  history  of  these  times 
is  like  making  a  progress  through  chaos,  amidst 
upper,  nether,  and  surrounding  darkness.  *  *  *  if  we  except 
Constantinople,  the  whole  of  Europe,  from  the  fall  of  Rome  to 
the  establishment  of  Charlemagne,  resembled  a  troubled  ocean. 
The  most  splendid  cities,  the  most  populous  countries,  and  the 
most  delightful  regions  of  the  earth,  were  harrassed  and  over- 
zvhelmed  with  ruin  and  desolation.'" — Conipend  of  /Jist.,Yo\.  I., 
Ch.  XVI.,  pp.  225-6. 

Not  only  was  the  empire  completely  paralyzed  through 

its  division,  and  the  ravaging  hordes  of  barbarians  that,  as 

"the  scourge  of  God/'  were  accomplishing  His  judgments 

upon  the  guilty  paramours,  both  Church  and  State,  but 

the  papacy  climbed  upon  the  back  of  the  Jaded  beast, 

secured  the  reins  of  power,  and  drove  his  fast  ebbing  life, 

for  the  time,  out  of  him. 


220  DIVINE    KKY   OP   THE    REVEI.ATION.       [parT  IV. 

III.  Let  us  take  a  Scriptural  view  of  this  rider. 

"And  his  name  that  sat  on  him  was  Death." 

— Death  riding  a  pale  or  dead  horse — the  one  "which  was, 
but  is  not"  (i.  e.,  politically  dead,)  because  being  ridden, 
controlled.  It  is  a  symbol  of  the  great  prophetic  anti- 
christ or  "man  of  sin" — the  papacy — that  for  the  period 
(before  mentioned)  of  1,260  years  usurped  not  only  the 
throne  of  the  Eoman  empire,  but  of  the  "kingdom  of 
Heaven,"  as  weil.     Paul,  in  describing  him,  says: — 

3.  Let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means :  for  that  day  shall 
not  come,  except  there  come  a  falling  away  first,  and  that  man  of 
sin  be  revealed,  the  son  of  perdition  ; 

4.  Who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself  above  all  that  is  called 
God,  or  that  is  worshipped  ;  so  that  he  as  God  sitteth  in  the  temple 
of  God,  shewing  himself  that  he  is  God. — (2  Thes.  it.,  3,  4.) 

This  is  his  arrogant  assumption  in  the  Church  which, 
since  God  abandoned  the  Jewish  temple, — rending  its  vail 
at  the  crucifixion  of  His  Son, — has  been  God's  dwelling 
place.  (Comp.  Zech.  vi.  12-15;  Jer.  xxxi.  31-33;  xxxii. 
37-40;  2  Cor.  vi.  16;  Eph.  ii.  17-22;  Heb.  viii.  1,  2,  10; 
1  Pet.  ii.  5.)  In  Johnson's  Cyclopaedia  we  find  this  con- 
cerning the  papal  usurpation  both  in  the  Church,  God's 
temple,  and  in  the  Eon\an  throne,  the  pale,  dead  horse: — 
"  Upon  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Roman  empire  there  arose, 

gradually,  a  new  empire,  which  soon  became 
Rise  of  the  all  the  more  powerful  as  it  claimed  control  over 

Man  of  Sin.  the  souls  of  men  as  well  as  their  bodies,  and 

extended  its  dominions  beyond  this  life  into 
eternity.  Rome  became,  after  a  short  interregnum,  once  more 
the  seat  of  the  central  power  in  Europe,  and  thus  earned  its  his- 
toric name  of  the  '  Eternal  City.'  It  owed  this  supremacy  to  the 
gradual  development  of  Christianity  \i.  e.,  of  Catholicism].  At 
first  the  new  church  consisted  of  priests  and  laymen.  Among  the 
former,  however,  external  circumstances  soon  produced  a  certain 
hierarchy.  The  heads  of  large  and  wealthy  congregations  natur- 
ally enjoyed  advantages  which  raised  them  above  the  great  mass 
of  clergymen.     Out  of  this  number  a  few,  again,  rose  to  special 


CHAP.  XV.]    EPOCH  OF  THE  FOURTH  SEAL.         221 

emineiice  because  they  controlled  the  churches  of  great  provincial 
centers,  such  as  Ephesus,  Antioch,  Alexandria  and  Rome.  They 
claimed  and  gradually  obtained  superior  powers,  presided  at  great 
councils,  and  enforced  obedience  to  their  decrees.  The  bishop  of 
Rome  not  only  inherited  the  prestige  of  the  former  capital  of  the 
world,  but  skillfully  enhanced  it  by  claiming  supreme  spiritual 
authority  as  successor  to  St.  Peter,  the  presumed  first  bishop  of 
Rome." 

Thus  the  "man  of  sin"  exalted  himself.     The  Lord 

had  exalted  Peter  and  the  apostles  to  His 
Anticbrist  tlii'one,  in  that  He  gave  them  power  to 

Personifleii.         loose  or  hind  (j.  e.,  to  Justify  or  condemn, 

as  sinners  repent  or  refuse  to)  for  the 
very  throne  of  Heaven;  but  this  man  presumptuously  took 
this  glory  to  himself,  and  called  down  tlie  wrath  of  Heaven 
upon  not  his  own  head  only,  but  on  the  pusillanimous 
heads  of  all  his  accessories,  sycophants  and  subjects,  in  the 
Church  and  in  the  empire.  But  why  is  the  papal  rider  per- 
sonified by  Death?  Because,  as  the  antichrist,  "the  man  of 
sin,"  the  whole  line  of  popes  are  "dead  in  sin."  As  Christ  is 
personified  by  Life,  the  antichrist  is  fitly  personified  by 
Death.  We  put  bread,  which  is  the  "staff  of  life,"  upon 
the  Lord's  table  to  represent  a  living  and  life-giving  Christ. 
And  we  put  a  skeleton  or  rackabones,  which  is  the  symbol 
of  death,  upon  the  horse  to  represent  a  spiritually  dead 
and  death-dealing  antichrist. 

"And  Hades  followed  with  him."— Hell,  the 
word  which  occurs  in  our  English  version  in  this  passage, 

is  from  the  old  "Saxon  term  Jielaii,  to 
Clarke  covcr,  or  hide;  hence  the  tiling  or  slating 

on  Hell.  Q-f  g^  house  is  Called  in  Cornwell,  heling,  to 

this  day;  and  in  Lancashire  the  covers  of 
books  are  so  called."  (Dr.  A.  Clarke  on  Matt.  xi.  23.) 
With  that  sense  it  is,  perhaps,  a  fair  enough  rendering  of 
the  Greek,  hades.  But  with  its  modern  meaning,  a  lake  of 
fire,  it  is  in  the  highest  sense  inadmissible.     Hades  means. 


222  DIVINE  KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  IV. 

"The  realm  of  the  invisible,  the  kingdom 
Baiiinger  ^f  j-^q  ^^q^^^  grave-land,  gravedom,  all  the 

on  Hades.  graves  in  the  world  viewed  as  one;  the 

place  where  the  divine  declaration  is  ful- 
filled, 'Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shall  thou  return.' " 
(Bullinger's  Anal,  and  Crit.  Lex.  and  Cone.)  It  is  not 
"spirit-land,"  but  the  land  of  the  dead — of  putting  away, 
out  of  sight;  and  personifies  the  buried  condition  of  the  H 
Church  during  the  period  that  "follows"  that  of  Death  on 
the  pale  horse;  so  that  in  the  succeeding  epoch,  we  have 
I/'  "the  souls  under  the  altar;"  for  it  required  both  the  Thya- 
tirian  and  the  Sardian  periods,  corresponding  with  the 
fourth  and  fifth  seals,  to  complete  the  1,260  years  of  papal 
usurpation. 

"And  power  was  given  unto  him  over  the 
fourth  part  of  the  earth." — Unto  /lim,  namely,  the 
rider:  so  the  Greek,  margin,  Emph.  Diag.,  etc.  Over  the 
fourth  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth:  not  as  respects 
numbers,  or  territory,  but  degree;  as  if  it  were  said,  power 
sufficient  that  if  it  were  three-fourths  stronger  nothing 
could  stand  before  it,  and  "no  flesh  should  be  saved,"  as  in 
Mark  xiii,  30,  in  which  base  God  preserved  a  remnant  by 
shortening  the  time — the  number  of  days;  but  in  this  case, 
by  limiting  the  power.  God  has  promised  that  His  people 
shall  not  be  tempted  above  that  they  are  able  to  bear.  If 
no  limit  were  placed  upon  this  rider.  Death,  nothing  could 
resist  his  power  and  influence.  Daniel,  speaking  of  this 
time,  says:  "Now  when  they  shall  fall,  they  shall  be 
holpen  with  a  little  help;  but  many  shall  cleave  to  them 
with  flatteries'^  (ch.  xi.  34).  A  type  of  this  is  found  in 
Zech.  xiii.  8,  9,  where  God  preserved  a  third  of  the  Jewish 
people  from  the  snare  that  destroyed  the  nation;  and  its 
parallel  is  in  the  fourth  or  corresponding  trumpet,  to  be 
noticed  in  its  place. 


CHAP.  XV.]    EPOCH  OF  THE  FOURTH  SEAI,.  223 

"To  kill  with  the  sword,  and  with  hunger, 
and  with  death,  and  with  the  beasts  of  the  earth." 

— This  killing  must  be  understood  as  symbolic,  since  the 
killer  is  a  symbol.  It  may  or  may  not  ultimate  in  literal 
death  by  violence,  according  to  circumstances.  Killing 
by  the  sword  and  beasts  seems  to  indicate  an  ultimate 
violent  death,  and  the  arm  of  the  state  as  a  factor  in  the 
work;  while  by  hunger  and  by  death  would  indicate  ulti- 
mate eternal  death  by  the  sin  and  indifference  of  the  par- 
ties themselves.  After  the  union  of  Church  and  State, 
the  popes  had  only  to  pronounce  the  words  "heretic,"  and 
"excommunicated"  to  effectually  kill  an  individual.  He 
was  legally  dead  from  that  moment — disfranchised,  and 
having  no  rights  that  the  empire  would  respect.  He  must 
recant,  and  confess  to  the  priests  of  the  papacy,  the  reign- 
ing rider,  "Death,"  or  flee  to  the  mountains  to  reign  with 
Christ,  and  in  all  probability  die  at  his  post,  "faithful 
unto  death."  (See  on  chapter  xx.  6.)  Paul  was  dead  in 
this  sense  when  he  said:  "For  I,  through  the  law,  am  dead 
ta  the  law,  that  I  might  live  unto  God.  I  am  crucified 
with  Christ:  nevertheless  I  live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth 
in  me;  and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live 
by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God"  (Gal.  ii.  19). 

I.  When  thus  thoroughly  outlawed  and  disfranchised 

by  the  papacy,  the  Christians  were  liable 
Killed  Throngu  ^^  immediate  arrest  and  a  violent  physical 
Legfai  Process,    (^gath  "by  the  sword"  or  "by  the  beasts  of 

the  earth."  For  as  the  Prophet  Daniel 
predicted,  "his  power  shall  be  mighty,  but  not  by  his  own 
power;  and  he  shall  destroy  wonderfully,  and  shall  prosper 
and  practice,  and  shall  destroy  the  mighty  and  the  holy 
people"  (ch.  viii.  24).  And  again,  "Arms  shall  stand  on 
his  part  *  *  *  And  they  that  understand  among  the 
people  shall  instruct  many;  yet  they  shall  fall  by  the 


224  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.       [parT  IV. 

sword,  and  by  flame,  by  captivity,  and  by  spoil,  many  days" 
(ch.  xi.  31-33).  Gibbon  testifies  the  fulfillment  of  this 
prophecy: — 

"The  reign  of  Justinian  was  a  uniform  yet  various  scene  of 
persecution  ;  and  he  appears  to  have  surpassed  his  indolent  pred- 
ecessors, both  in  the  contrivance  of  his  laws  and  the  rigor  of  their 
execution.  The  insufficient  term  of  three  months  was  assigned 
for  the  co7iversion  or  exile  of  all  heretics.  *  *  *  But  in  the  creed 
of  Justinian,  the  guilt  of  murder  could  not  be  applied  to  the 
slaughter  of  unbelievers  ;  and  he  piously  labored  to  establish,  with 
fire  and  sword,  the  unity  of  the  Christian  \i.  ^.,  the  Roman  Catholic] 
faith." — Decline  and  Fall,  etc.,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  528-530. 

Such  history,  including  that  of  the  terrible  Inquisi- 
tion, might  be  cited  all  along  the  track  of  the  Church 
during  the  reign  of  the  papacy,  from  Justinian  to  Charle- 
magne, and  from  Charlemagne  to  Louis  XVI.,  and  through 
which,  as  has  been  before  stated,  fifty  million  martyrs 
were  killed  with  the  sword  and  beasts  of  the  earth. 

II.  But  many  yielded  too  easily  to  the  demand  to 
relinquish  their  personal  hold  on  the 
Killed  Throngii  ^^^.^j  ^f  Q.^^  ^s  the  only  food  that  could 
Seductive  Arts,  possibly  sustain  their  spiritual  lives.  And 
in  hunger  for  the  Word  of  God,  and 
through  fear  of  the  power  of  Kome,  they  allowed  them- 
selves to  lose  all  spiritual  life  and  become  dead  to  God, 
as  they  should  have  been  to  the  world.  They  were  killed 
"with  hunger."  And  now,  if  they  remain  in  this  condi- 
tion, and  turn  not  again  to  God,  at  the  cost  of  all  things 
worldly,  even  of  this  life  if  needs  be,  they  are  killed  to  all 
hope  of  a  future  life  "with  death" — with  this  death  state. 


CHAP.  XV.]  EPOCH   OF   THE   FIFTH  SEAI,.  225 

V.    THE    FIFTH    SEAL    OPENED— SLAIN    SOULS 
UNDER  THE  ALTAE,  AND  HADES. 

A  REMNANT  OF  THE  CHURCH  GROANING  TO  BE  AVENGED — 

FROM    THE    PROTESTANT    LEAGUE,    A.  D.    1529, 

TO  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION,  A.  D.  1789. 

Text,  Chapter  vi.   9-11. 

9.  And  when  He  had  opened  the  fifth  seal,  I  saw  under  the 
altar  the  souls  of  them  that  were  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  and 
for  the  testimony  which  they  held  : 

ID.  And  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  How  long,  O 
Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on 
them  that  dwell  on  the  earth  ? 

II.  And  white  robes  were  given  unto  every  one  of  them  ;  and 
it  was  said  unto  them,  that  they  should  rest  yet  for  a  little  season, 
until  their  fellow  servants  also  and  their  brethren,  that  should  be 
killed  as  they  zvere,  should  be  fulfilled. 

WE  now  have  a  change  quite  unlike  any  preceding 
one:  horse  and  rider  and  living  creature  vanish; 
and  we  have  only  the  altar  left,  and  the  cries 
of  the  martyr  company  beneath,  to  tell  of  their  years  of 
sacrifice;  and  Hades  to  represent  the  inactivity  now  of  the 
pale-horse  empire,  and  therefore  the  hope  of  the  promise 
(for  which  they  cry)  concerning  "shortened"  days  and 
requiting  "judgment"  upon  those  who  "dwell  upon"  and 
"corrupt  the  earth;"  namely,  the  "man  of  sin,"  Jezebel, 
their  horses  and  their  riders. 

"Souls  slain." — It  was  shown  (pages  92,  113)  that 
there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  an  intangible,  "disembodied" 
soul.  The  original  term  has  three  distinct  significations 
in  the  Bible:  1.  A  being;  as,  "man  became  a  living  soul;" 
"eight  souls"  were  saved  in  the  ark.  2.  The  life  of  a 
being;  as,  "He  poured  out  his  soul  [psuche,  life]  unto 
death;"  "This  night  thy  soul  [psuche,  life]   shall  be  re- 


226  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.       [parT  IV. 

quired  of  thee;"  "what  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall 
gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  sour  [psuche,  life]  ? 
3,  "A  state  of  feeling  in  a  being;"  as  desire — ^that  word 
being  the  English  rendering  in  several  passages. 

In  the  first  sense  the  original  Hebrew  word  nephcsh  is 
rendered  person,  thirty  times;  creature,  nine  times;  body, 
seven  times.  It  was  the  persons  that  were  slain,  as  John 
saw  them — the  whole  company  of  the  outlawed,  dis- 
franchised Church  of  this  fifth  or  Sardian  period. 

**  For  the  Word  of  God  and  for  the  testimony 
which  they  held." — They  persistently  rejected  the 
creeds  and  held  to  the  Word.  They  also  persistently  testi- 
fied for  truth — letting  the  light  that  was  in  them  shine 
all  about  them;  refusing  to  put  it  under  the  Eomanist 
bushel,  even  to  save  their  lives,  in  view  of  life  at  the 
Kesurrection. 

"Under  the  altar." — The  company  seen  were  not 
dead  in  a  literal  sense,  nor  were  they  literally  under  an 
altar.  It  was  the  symbolic  altar  of  their  faith,  upon  which 
they  were  being  offered  all  those  gloomy  centuries.  They 
were  in  the  mountains  and  secluded  places — hiding  away 
from  their  enemies.     > 

"And  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice." — Cried  as 
the  voice  of  Abel's  blood  cried,  to  God  if  not  to  their 
slayers.  So,  too,  it  was  a  loud  voice  in  the  ear  of  God,  as 
their  righteousness  was  great  in  His  sight,  if  not  in  the 
ears  and  sight  of  men.  In  their  weary  and  tedious  hiding 
they  were  crying  for  judgment  upon  their  persecutors. 

"  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou 
not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood?" — Such  judgment 
had  been  promised  the  Church  at  this  time.  After  de- 
scribing the  beast  and  his  work,  the  Prophet  Daniel  had 
said:  "But  the  judgment  shall  sit,  and  they  shall  take 
away  his  dominion  to  consume  and  destroy  it  unto  the 


CHAP.  XV.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  FIFTH   SEAL,.  227 

end/*  And  "judgment  shall  be  given  to  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High"  (ch.  vii.  22,  26).  The  white  robes  given 
them  was  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Spirit  witnessing  to 
their  righteousness  in  Christ.  And  the  fact  that  they 
must  rest  or  wait  yet  a  little  season  shows  that  the  period 
was  not  quite  exhausted,  and  all  their  brothcx-  martyrs 
had  not  yet  been  brought  under  the  power  of  the  pale- 
horse  rider.  The  judgment  promised  and  prayed  for 
came,  as  we  have  seen,  in  the  French  Revolution,  a.  d. 
1789. 

"  On  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth." — It  was  to 
the  whole  system  or  dynasty  of  pale-horse  riders — lines 
of  rulers — on  whom  they  prayed  to  be  avenged — they,  and 
not  merely  individuals,  are  refen-ed  to  as  dzvdling  on  the 
earth,  or  reigning  in  the  empire.  These  were  the  ''kings 
of  the  earth,"  who  had  "committed  adultery"  with  Jezebel, 
and  were  threatened  with  "great  tribulation"  as  a  judg- 
ment.    See  chapter  ii.,  23. 

To  make  this  a  picture  of  the  literally  dead  martyrs, 
their  so-called  "immortal  souls"  under  the  altar  really  in 
Heaven  (if  there  is  an  altar  in  Heaven),  crying  for  judg- 
ment upon  their  persecutors  (if  souls  could  cry  in  Heaven), 
and  receiving  white  robes  (if  souls  could  have  entered 
Heaven  in  other  than  white  robes,  or  at  all),  would  border 
so  nearly  upon  the  ludicrous,  and  would  be  so  far  beneath 
the  scope  of  this  revelation,  as  to  be  unworthy  of  serious 
criticism.  These  were  the  white  robes  promised  to  the 
overcomers  of  Sardis.  They  could  not  be  reckoned  as 
overcomers  of  this  period  until  "a  little  season"  before  its 
close.  The  reader  should  keep  these  robes  in  mind:  they 
will  be  more  appreciated  in  the  exposition  of  the  seventh 
chapter,  and  most  in  that  of  the  fourteenth  chapter. 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

VI.  THE  SIXTH  SEAL  OPENED-- A  GEE  AT  EAETH- 

QUAKE,  DAEKENED  SUN  AND  MOON, 

AND  FALLING  STAES. 

JUDGMENT    UPON   JEZEBEL,    ROME   AND    CATHOLIC    KINGS 
FROM  1789  TO  THE  CONGRESS  OF  VIENNA,   1815. 

Text,  Chapter  vi.  12-17. 

12.  Aud  I  beheld  when  He  had  opened  the  sixth  seal,  and,  lo, 
there  was  a  great  earthquake  ;  and  the  sun  became  black  as  sack- 
cloth of  hair,  and  the  moon  became  as  blood  ; 

13.  Aud  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  unto  the  earth,  even  as  a  fig 
tree  casteth  her  untimely  figs,  when  she  is  shaken  of  a  mighty 
wind. 

14.  And  the  heaven  departed  as  a  scroll  when  it  is  rolled  to- 
gether;  and  every  mountain  and  island  were  moved  out  of  their 

places. 

15.  And  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men,  and  the 
rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  mighty  men,  and  every 
bond  man,  and  every  free  man,  hid  themselves  in  the  dens  and  in 
the  rocks  of  the  mounfains  ; 

16.  And  said  to  the  mountains  and  rocks.  Fall  on  us,  and  hide 
us  from  the  face  of  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the 
wrath  of  the  L,amb  : 

17.  For  the  great  day  of  His  wrath  is  come;  and  who  shall  be 
able  to  stand  ? 

^1  HE  most  remarkable  symbols  and    convulsions   in 
JL         nature  figure  in  the  opening  of  the  sixth  seal, 
deciding    the    importance    of    the    events    fore- 
shadowed.    Judgment  was  due;  and  God  chose  His  own 
agencies  to  announce  and  bring  it  about. 

"Lo,  there  was  a  great  earthquake." — A  great 
earthquake  is  a  great  concussion  of  the  forces  in  nature, 

228 


CHAP.  XVI.]       EPOCH   OF   THE   SIXTH   SEAL.  229 

a  shock,  a  calamity,  and  doubtless  ^^sually  a  judgment. 
This  was  a  great  concussion  of  the  moral,  political,  and 
religious  forces  of  the  effete  old  Eoman  system;  a  shock 
to  the  world,  and  a  judgment  upon  the  Eoman  Church. 
No  one  of  the  seven  epochs  is  more  clearly  marked  than 
this  by  the  great  French-infidel  Revolution,  the  first  angry 
rumblings  of  which  began  in  1789.  It  was  a  godless 
revolution,  and  it  struck  the  knell  of  the  godless  old 
State-Church  regime,  and,  at  the  same  time,  of  the  1,260 
years  "space"  given  the  Eoman  Jezebel  to  finish  her  work 
of  rioting  and  drunkenness,  and  to  repent  of  her  fornica- 
tion, and  of  her  deeds  of  blood.  It  was  the  shock  that 
broke  up  the  foundations  of  the  old  Thyatirian  earth,  and 
brought  her  "heavens"  down  upon  the  ruins;  it  rent 
asunder  the  still  bloody  altar  of  Sardis,  liberated  the 
weeping,  white-robed  company  of  martyrs,  inaugurated  the 
calm  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  joy  and  "new  song"  that 
burst  forth  from  the  holy  throng  of  the  sealed  thousands 

upon  Mount  Zion  with  the  Lamb  (ch. 
An  BarthQuake  xiy.).  An  earthquake  from  which  the 
as  Seen  g^^j^  ^^^^  ^]^g  moou  withdrew  their  faces, 

by  Historians,     g^j^^j}  ^j-^g  disturbed  stars  rattled  down  from 

their  places,  as  described  by  the  Eevela- 
tor,  must  find  a  conspicuous  place  in  history.  Let  us  see. 
Mr.  Bower  writes  of  it  as  follows: — 

"The  unparalleled  wonders  of  the  French  Revolution  were 

considered  by  many  as  the  great  symbol  of  other 

Bower  Sees  One.     political   earthquakes,  which   should   prostrate 

thrones  and  altars  in  a  common  ruin,  transform 

society,  and  regenerate  the  world."— //z^/.  of  the  Popes,  Vol.  III., 

P  419- 

The  following  are  Sir  Archibald  Alison's  words: — 

"  There  are  few  periods  in  the  history  of  the  world,  which  can 

be  compared,  in  point  of  interest  and  impor- 

Allson  AiBo,  tance,  to  that  which  embraces  the  progress  and 

termination  of  the  French  Revolution.     In  iiQ 


230  DIVINE    KEY    OF    THE    REVELATION.       [pART  IV. 

former  age  were  events  of  svich  magnitude  crowded  together,  or 
interests  so  momentous  at  issue  between  contending  nations. 
From  the  flame  which  was  kindled  in  Europe,  the  whole  world  was 
involved  in  conflagration,  and  a  new  era  dawned  upon  both  hemis- 
pheres from  the  effect  of  its  expansion."  — //'z^'i?.  of  Europe, Voi  I., 
p.  51- 

These  passages  show  that  the  Eevelation,  in  depict- 
ing the  great  earthquake  of  this  seal,  was  an  inspiration 
beyond  human  power  to  foresee,  and  should  impress  us 
with  the  fact  that  if  the  Judgment  of  the  papacy,  accord- 
ing to  Daniel  and  the  sixth  seal,  was  so  promptly  and 
visibly  executed,  that  the  judgment  of  Laodicea  and  the 
seventh  seal  will  not  be  less  so.  But  was  the  French 
Eevolution  a  judgment  on  Romanism — civil  and  ecclesias- 
tical? It  most  certainly  was.  Much  might  be  quoted  to 
show  the  fact  with  a  consensus  of  intelligent  opinion.  A. 
M.  Lamartine,  the  illustrious  French  poet  and  historian, 
writes  thus: — 

"  So  long  as  Catholicism  had  been  the  sole  legal  doctrine  in 

Europe,  these  murmuring  revolts  of  mind  had 
Lamartine's  not  overset  Empires,  they  had  been  punished 

Description.  by  the  hands  of  rulers.  Dungeons,  punishments, 

inquisitions,  fire  and  fagot  had  intimidated  reas- 
on, and  preserved  ei^ect  the  two-fold  dogma  on  which  the  two 
governments  reposed." — Hist,  of  the  Girondists,  Vol  I.,  p  13. 
' '  Did  royalty  fall  ?  Catholicism  as  a  sovereign  and  civil  institution 
fell  with  it,  and  instead  of  one  ruin  caused  two." — [b.,  p.  178. 

Both  the  horse  and  its  rider  fell,  as  the  text  of  this 
seal,  and  the  message  to  Thyatira  show.  In  the  latter 
place  it  was  said:  "Behold,  I  will  cast  her  into  a  bed, 
and  them  thai  coimnit  adultery  zvith  her  into  great  tribula- 
tion, except  they  repent  of  their  deeds."  The  following  is 
from  Marsh's  Ecclesiastical  History,  p.  300: — 

"A  civil  constitution  was  formed  for  the  clergy,  to  which  all 

were  required  to  swear,   on  pain  of  death  or 

UlarBh  States.  banishment.    The  great  body  refused,  and  priest 

and  altar  were   overturned,   and    blood,   once 


CHAP.  XVI.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH   SEAL.  23 1 

esteemed  sacred,  flowed  to  the  horses'  bridles.  Such  as  could, 
escaped  through  a  thousand  dangers,  and  found  an  asylum  in  for- 
eign countries.     No  tongue  can  tell  the  woes  of  the  nation." 

Speaking  of  the  events  of  1798,  Mr.  Alison  says: — 

"  The  Directory  declared  war  against  Rome  with  a  promptness 
that  showed  how  eagerly  they  sought  the  quar- 
Waglng  "War  rel,   and   Berthier  received  orders   to  advance 

Agalnit  Rome.  immediately  upon  the  ecclesiastical  dominions. 
That  general,  at  the  head  of  eighteen  thousand 
veterans,  entered  Ancona  on  the  25th  of  January,  1798.  *  *  *  On 
the  15th  of  February  all  was  arranged  :  the  revolutionists,  in  open 
revolt,  passed  through  the  streets,  inviting  the  French  to  enter, 
and  Berthier  hoisted  the  flag  of  the  Republic  over  the  walls  of 
Rome.  But  the  Republic  did  not  stop  at  the  mere  conquest  of  the 
city.  They  ordered  the  pope  to  retire  into  Tuscany,  dismiss  his 
Swiss  guards,  supply  their  places  with  French  soldiers,  and  dis- 
posess  himself  of  his  temporal  authority.  *  *  *  The  aged  pontiff 
was  dragged  from  the  altar  in  his  palace,  his  repositories  were 
plundered,  the  very  rings  were  torn  from  his  fingers,  and  he  him- 
self, with  only  a  few  domestics  for  attendants,  was  conveyed  into 
Tuscany,  amid  the  brutal  jests  and  sacrilegious  songs  of  the  French 
dragoons.  The  subsequent  treatment  of  this  venerable  man  was 
still  more  disgraceful  to  the  Republic.  [Yet  God  was  causing  the 
wrath  of  the  French  infidels  to  praise  Himself  in  the  humiliation 
of  the  blasphemous  antichrist  of  the  Vatican.]  *  *  *  But  long 
before  the  pope  sunk  under  the  persecutions  of  his  oppressors, 
Rome  experienced  the  bitter  fruits  of  republican  fraternization. 
Immediately  on  the  entrance  of  the  French  troops  into  the  city,  a 
systematic  pillage  was  commenced  that  surpassed  any  to  which 
Rome  had  previously  been  subjected.  *  *  *  The  work  of  revolu- 
tion now  proceeded  rapidly  in  the  Roman  states.  All  the  ancient 
institutions  were  subverted^ — Hist.  Europe,  (Abrid.  Edi.),  pp. 
108,  109. 

Hon.  Gerard  Noel  propounds  two  questions  that  will 

be  answered  negatively  by  all  who  are  at 

^''**'''  all  conversant  with  the  succeeding  history 

Q,aestions.  ^f  ^]-,g  papacy:   "Can  the  overthrow  of  the 

monastic  orders,  plunder  of  the  Church 

property,   the   destruction   of  religion  by  legislative   en- 


232  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE  REVELATION.       [PART  iv. 

actment,  and  the  massacre  of  a  hundred  thousand  of 
her  clergy,  be  consistent  with  any  reasonable  estimate  of 
domination  and  power?  Under  such  terrific  judgments 
upon  the  persecutors,  can  we  refuse  to  admit  that  the 
period  of  tJte  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years  has  term- 
inated its  course?" 


RELIGIOUS    EFFECTS    OF   THE    EARTHQUAKE. 

"And  the  sun  became  black  as  sackcloth  of 
hair,  and  the  moon  became  as  blood."— This  is  a 

symbol  of  the  putting  out  of  the  light  of  Christianity,  or 
the  legal  ostracism  of  the  Word  of  God — the  New  Testa- 
ment snn,  and  the  Old  Testament  moon.  For  a  ban  was 
placed  upon  the  whole  Bible — against  any  private  or  public 
use  of  it,  or  any  confessed  faith  in  it.  Thus  treated,  it 
was  darkened,  and  could  no  longer  emit  its  precious  light. 
Of  such  a  national  condition  of  things,  what  could  more 
aptly  symbolize  it  than  the  darkening  of  the  literal  lights 
of  heaven?  The  figure  is  drawn  from  that  most  remark- 
able phenomenon  in  nature  predicted  by  our  Lord  in 
Matt.  xxiv.  29,  according  to  which  the  darkening  of  the 
sun  and  moon  (literally)  was  to  be  the  sign  of  the  ended 
tribulation  on  the  saints.  It  occurred  just  nine  years  be- 
fore the  Judgments  on  their  enemies  began  by  the  open- 
ing of  this  seal,  and  the  earthquake  and  darkening  we  are 
considering.  The  world  had  never  before  seen,  either  in 
nature  or  Christianity,  a  phenomenon  to  compare  with 
either.     Of  the  darkened  sun  the  astronomer  Herschel, 

as  quoted  in  "Our  First  Century,"  says: 
Herschel  on  "The  dark  day  in  North  America  (May 
Tiie  Dark  Day.  ^9^   178O)   was   ouc   of  those  woudcrful 

phenomena  in  nature  which  will  always 
be  read  of  with  interest,  but  which  philosophy  is  at  a 


CHAP.  XVI.]  EPOCH   OF   THE  SIXTH   SEAl..  233 

loss  to  explain."  *  What  that  darkening  was  to  the 
physical  world,  the  results  of  the  French  Eevolution  were 
to  the  religions  or  Christian  world.  Of  the  latter  darken- 
ing there  is  also  much  testimony  like  this: — 

"  On  the  memorable  25th  of  August,  in  the  year  1792,  an  open 
profession  of  atheism,  irreligion  and  ijtfidelity 
Faber  on  the  was  made  and  forthwith  acted  upon  by  a  whole 

French  nation  once  devoted  to  the  papal  superstitioxis. 

Revolution.  Christianity  was  then  formally  abolished  as  a 

notorious  and  malignant  imposture  by  the  gov- 
ernment of  revolutionary  France ;  and  so  well  did  the  people 
second  them,  that,  while  not  a  trace  of  the  Gospel  could  be  found 
throughout  the  reprobate  metropolis,  every  frantic  oration  in  praise 
of  atheism  was  loudly  and  enthusiastically  applauded." — Faber, 
On  the  Prophecies,  Vol.  III.,  p.  363. 

"  On  the  I2th  of  August,  1792,  the  infidel  king  exalted  himself 
above  all  law  ;  on  the  26tli  of  the  same  month  he  exalted  himself 
above  all  religion.  As  the  first  of  these  days  witnessed  the  aboli- 
tion of  all  the  distinctions  of  civil  society,  so  the  second  beheld 
the  establishment  of  atheism  by  law.  A  decree  was  then  passed, 
ordering  the  clergy  to  leave  the  kingdom  within  a  fortnight  after 
its  date;  but,  instead  of  allowing  them  the  time  specified,  even  by 
their  own  decree,  the  Jacobin  tyrants  of  France  employed  the 
whole  of  that  period  in  seizing,  imprisoning,  and  putting  them  to 
the  most  cruel  deaths." — lb..  Vol.  II. ,  p.  43. 

But  not  only  were  the  sun  and  the  moon  darkened, 
but  the  lesser  lights  of  the  theological  firmament  were 
equally  affected: — 

"And  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  unto  the  earth, 
even  as  a  fig  tree  casteth  her  untimely  figs,  when 
she  is  shaken  of  a  mighty  wind." — These  smaller 
lights  represent  the  individual  ministry — the  "angels"  of 
the  churches.  They  were  specially  affected,  as  seen  by 
the  last  part  of  the  last  quotation;  and  many  of  them  were 

*  For  further  testimony  and  particulars  concerning  it  see  above  Work,  Pres. 
Dwight's  Hi&i.  Coll.,  Gage's  HUt.  of  Rowley,  Mass.,  or  tract  No.  379  of  American 
Tract  Society. 


234  DIVINK   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.       [part  iv. 

unable  to  endnre  the  loss  of  property,  homes,  and  all 
things,  and  they  "fell,"  and  were  no  longer  lightbearers. 
What  led  to  the  picture  which  Mr.  Faber  draws,  began  in 
the  close  of  1790.  Pressense,  speaking  of  the  new  "Civil 
Constitution  of  the  Clergy,"  says: — 

"  It  would  have  been  just  to  require  an  oath  of  submission  to 
the  civil  laws,  but  to  extend  it  to  the  new  Con- 
Pressense  Says.  stitutiou  of  the  clergy  was  to  outrage  the  con- 
science of  many  respectable  priests."  But  that 
its  advocates  "  loved  it  because  it  trampled  under  foot  the  cause  of 
Ultramontanism  and  the  power  of  the  papacy  from  which  (they) 
had  suffered  so  much.  *  Finally,  the  decree  requiring  the  oath 
of  the  clergy  was  passed  on  the  27th  of  November,  1790.*  This  is 
a  sad  date  in  the  history  of  the  Revolution.  It  consummated  the 
divorce  between  young  France  and  religion,  and  led  to  still  more 
flagrant  violations  of  liberty.  *  *  *  This  decree  set  all  France 
into  ferment.  The  revolutionary  press  brandished  it  as  a  sword  in 
the  face  of  all  reactionary  priests." — Relig.  and  Reign  o/Ter.,  p. 
108. 

Just  one  year  later,  the  great  body  of  the  priesthood 

having  refused  to  take  the  oath,  the  Assembly  resolved  on 
violent  measures.     Mr.  Eowan  writes  of  it  as  follows: — 

"  It  was  decreed,  November  29th,  1791,  that  the  members  of 
the  clergy  who  had  not  taken  the  oath  required 
Rowan  Writes.  by  the  constitution  should  be  deprived  of  their 
pensions,  which  had  been  given  them  as  an  in- 
demnity for  the  sale  of  their  property  ;  that  they  should  no  longer 
be  allowed  to  exercise  their  holy  functions,  even  in  private  houses  ; 
that  they  were  declared  suspected  of  entertaining  thoughts  of 
sedition,  and  were  placed  under  the  surveillance  of  the  authorities ; 
that  if  any  disturbance  should  take  place  in  the  commune  in- 
habited by  a  refractory  priest,  the  departmental  authorities  should 
be  bound  to  force  him  to  change  his  residence." — Hist.  French 
Revo.,  Vol.  II.,  p.  13. 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  was  not  a  war  upon  indi- 
viduals, nor  nationality,  but  upon  Christianity,  or  any 

*  This  date  stands  "1795"  in  the  first  edition  of  Lacioix's  translation  and 
American  reprint,  but  it  is  manifestly  a  typographical  error,  as  the  whole  connec- 
tion goes  to  show. 


CHAP.  XVI.]         EPOCH   OF  THK  SIXTH   SKAL.  235 

profession  of  it.  These  helpless  men, 
The  Long  War  ^^^^^  made  responsible  for  every  misde- 
by  tiie  ciiurch,  meanor  that  should  occur  in  their  vicinity, 
Now  Returned  howcvcr  improbable,  false  or  scandalous 
Upon  Herself,     ^j^g  charge,  wcrc  at  the  mercy  of  every 

neighboring  miscreant  that  had  learned  to 
hate  religion  and  its  representatives.  But  all  this  was 
exactly  in  reverse — an  exact  counterpart — of  what  had 
been  enacted  by  Justinian  in  behalf  of  the  Church,  in  his 
edict  against  the  testimony  of  any  declared  heretic  in 
courts  of  justice,  just  1,260  years  before.  The  judgment 
was  not  unjust;  but  multitudes  of  the  provincial  priests 
throughout  the  kingdom,  deceived,  but  honestly  laboring 
among  the  peasantry,  and  nearly  as  much  oppressed  by 
the  papacy  and  higher  orders  of  the  clergy  as  the  peasantry 
themselves,  were  thus  put  to  the  last  extremity.  Their 
property  had  been  confiscated;  and  now,  because  they 
could  not  conscientiously  take  the  infidel-prescribed  oaths 
to  the  state,  which  they  justly  thought  derogatory  to  reli- 
gion, and  subversive  of  its  proper  exercise,  they  were  to  be 
stripped  of  the  pensions  they  had  received  in  lieu  of  their 
property  rights,  and  put  in  peril  of  their  homes  at  any 
occurring  disorder,  which  they  might  as  much  regret, 
being  as  helpless  also  to  prevent,  as  the  state  itself;  and 
were  as  unreasonably  prohibited  from  even  private  zvor- 
ship,  as  the  pagans  themselves  had  been  when  the  Church 
had  the  better  of  them,  one  thousand  years  before. 

By  the  same  decree  the  National  Assembly  put  a 
premium  on  infidel  books  and  writings,  "to  the  level  of  the 
common  people,"  declaring  that  they  would  consider  it 
for  the  "public  benefit,"  and  would  cause  the  same  "to 
be  printed  and  distributed  at  the  expense  of  the  state, 
and  recompense  the  writers  of  them."  Mr.  Eowan  re- 
marks:   "It  is  needless  to  say  that  France  was  inundated 


236  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.       [parT  IV. 

with  works  which,  not  satisfied  with  attacking  the  refrac- 
tory priests,  contributed  to  destroy  all  religion." — lb. 
With  all  this,  it  conld  not  be  otherwise  than  that  many 
natures  or  characters,  through  fear  or  favor,  would  fall  in 
with  the  general  and  popular  defection;  and  so  the  "stars" 
of  the  Church  would  fall.  The  following  speech  in  the 
French  Assembly,  quoted  by  Mr.  Alison,  represents  this: — 

"  Citizens,  representatives  :  You  see  before  you  your  brothers, 
who  desire  to  be  regenerated  and  to  become 
Apostasy  of  men.     You  see  the  bishops  of  Paris,  the  grand 

Priests.  vicars  and  some  of  the  priests,  who,  conducted 

by  reason,  came  to  lay  aside  the  character  which 
superstition  had  given  them  ;  that  great  example  will  be  imitated 
by  their  colleagues.  It  is  thus  that  the  minions  of  despotism 
concur  in  its  destruction  ;  it  is  thus  that  soon  the  French  Republic 
will  recognize  no  other  worship  but  that  of  liberty,  equality  and 
eternal  truth,  which,  thanks  to  your  immortal  labors,  will  soon 
become  universal." — Hist,  of  Europe,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  149. 

Those  were  times  again  which  tried  men's  souls.  No 
light  from  sun  or  moon  or  star.  The  darkness  was  like 
that  which  covered  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  for  a  season 
reigned  supreme  in  that  wretched  kingdom.  It  was  the 
legitimate  fruit  of  the  Roman  Catholic  mixture  of  pagan- 
ism, tradition,  mysticism  and  perversions  of  the  Scriptures. 
Roman  supremacy  was  now  ended  under  predicted  judg- 
ments from  the  hand  of  God.  Jezebel's  fiendish  work  of 
blood  was  over;  and  as  the  sun  was  darkened  at  Jesus'  ex- 
piring cry  from  the  cross,  so  at  the  last  cries  from  those 
centuries  of  agony  of  His  people,  the  sun  of  eternal  truth 
was  veiled  to  mark  an  hour  on  the  Christian's  prophetic 
dial. 

"And  the  heaven  departed  as  a  scroll  when  it 
is  rolled  together." — The  old  regime,  the  old  church- 
state  "abomination  of  desolation"  and  of  authority,  began 
to  break  up  and  roll  away  like  the  dismal  clouds  of  a 
long  equinoctial  storm.     Mr.  Alison  says: — 


CHAP.  XVI.]  EPOCH    OF   THE   SIXTH   SEAL.  237;  i 

"It  is  not  surprising  that  the  higher  ranks  mistook 

the  signs  of  the  times.  They  were  ad- 
Aiison  a^ain.     yancing  into  a  region  in  which  the  ancient 

landmarks  [the  old  "heavens"]  were  un- 
known, where  the  signs  of  a  nczv  heaven,  and  hitherto 
unseen  constellations  were  to  guide  the  statesmen." — Hist. 
Europe,  Vol.  I.,  p.  51. 

Mr.  Bower  has  preserved  the  brief  of  Pius  VI.,  10th 

March,  1791.  He  says,  "it  was  especially 
Brief  of  addressed  to  the  prelates  who  were  deputed 

Pope  Pius  VI.     tQ   ^i^g    National   Assembly.      In   it   the 

pontiff  discussed  many  articles  of  the  civil 
constitution  of  the  clergy,  that  had  been  enacted  by  that 
body  in  July  1790,  and  the  effect  of  which  was  the  entire 
subversion  of  the  papal  jurisdiction,  and  hierarchy  in 
France.  *  *  *  The  changes  and  innovations  introduced 
by  the  Assembly  into  the  ecclesiastical  discipline,  destroy 
the  fundaincntal  principle's,  on  zvhich  the  authority  cf  the 
Roman  church  is  founded." — Hist,  of  the  Popes,  Vol.  III., 
p.  415. 

"And  every  mountain  and  island  were  moved 
out  of  their  places." — As  Mount  Zion  was  a  symbol  of 
the  kingdom  of  God,  so  these  mountains  and  islands  are 
used  as  symbols  of  greater  and  lesser  kingdoms  covering 
the  field  of  prophecy,  namely,  Europe.  Earthquakes, 
though  local,  are  often  far-reaching  in  their  effects.  So 
it  was  with  the  great  Eevolution  in  France:  Mr.  Eedhead 
writes: — 

'^All  Europe  stood  in  amazement  a^id  perturbation  at  the 

events  that  were  passing.  The  prodigious  in- 
Redliead's  crease  of  power  by  France,  and  the  revolting 

Deacrlptlon.  purposes   to   which   she   applied   it,   began   to 

arouse  a  universal  dread  for  the  independence 
of  nations  and  the  existence  of  social  order  or  public  morality. 
It  was  natural  that  kings  and  aristocracies  should  regard  even  the 


238  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  I  V. 

first  outbreak  of  the  revolution  with  dislike  and  apprehension  now 
from  the  frightful  features  it  had  assumed.  This  feeling  was  par- 
taken by  the  whole  world  and  prevailed  even  among  the  most 
democratic  communities.  The  enlightened  citizens  of  the  United 
States  shared  it  with  the  ignorant  populations  of  Sarmatia  and 
Romelia.  Upon  the  first  reverse  sustained  by  France,  all  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  seemed  to  rush  simultaneously  to  quell  her. 
The  sympathies  of  mankind  were  enlisted  against  her,  for  she  had 
shown  how  hideous  was  the  spirit  by  which  she  was  actuated." — 
Hist,  of  France,  p.  113. 

In  the  excitement,  which  was  justly  aroused,  every 
kingdom  in  Europe,  great  and  small,  furnished  its  quota 
of  troops  for  the  allied  armies,  to  check  the  mad  career 
of  the  infidel  Eepuhlic;  for  the  dragon,  as  we  shall  find 
(ch.  XX.),  was  loosed  for  a  season  from  the  pit.  True  to 
the  symbol,  these  nations,  as  the  effect  of  the  earthquake, 
were  "moved  out  of  their  places."  Who  can  fail  to  read  in 
these  wonderful  predictions  and  fulfillments,  both  the 
foreknowledge  and  the  oversight  of  the  mind  divine? 

"And  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great 
men,  and  the  rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains, 
and  the  mighty  men,  and  every  bondman,  and 
every  freeman,  hid  themselves  in  the  dens  and  in 
the  rocks  of  the  mountains." — We  must  not  forget 
that  all  these,  too,  are  symbols — the  men;  their  riches  and 
might;  the  dens,  and  rocks,  and  mountains.  The  figure  is 
based  on  a  like  symbolization  in  Isaiah  ii.  10-21,  when  the 
prophet,  looking  forward  to  the  first  advent  of  the  Messiah, 
was  picturing  the  recoiling  of  the  guilty  house  of  Jacob 
from  Him  who  should  "sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of 
silver"  (Mai.  iii.  2,  3);  "sift  them  as  corn  is  sifted  in  a 
sieve"  (Amos  ix.  9);  "shake  terribly  the  earth,"  and  "alone 

be  exalted  in  that  day."  Haggai  (ch.  ii. 
A  similar  First  (3.9)  testifies  that  the  shaking  of  the  na- 
Advent  Symbol.  fJQijg  gjioiild  occur  at  the  appearing  of  the 

"Desire  of  all  nations" — He  in  whom"  all 


CHAP.  XVI.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH  SEAI,.  239 

the  families  of  the  earth"  were  to  be  blessed;  and  the 
Apostle  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  (ch.  xii.  26-28), 
quotes  this  prophecy  of  Haggai  as  fulfilled  in  the  Gospel 
age.  The  whole  description  as  given  by  the  three  prophets 
and  the  apostle  is  very  similar  to  the  Eevelator's  view  of  the 
sixth  seal;  and  both  are  undoubtedly  highly  symbolic. 
They  are  Judgment  scenes,  however,  and  are  often  referred 
to  the  final  judgment  at  the  last  day,  not  without  violence 
to  all  the  harmonies  of  the  two  Testaments.  At  the  first 
Advent  Jesus  sat  in  judgment  upon  the  Jews  and  extended 
His  judgment  to  the  Gentiles.  (See  Isa.  ii.  4;  iv.  4;  ix.  7; 
xi.  3,  4;  xxxii.  1,  16;  xxxiii.  5;  xli.  1,  2;  xlii.  1-4;  Mic.  iv. 
3;  Mai.  iii.  5;  Matt.  xii.  18,  20;  John  ix.  39,  etc.) 

The  judgment  of  the  sixth  seal  is  upon  the  papal 
power,  as  we  have  seen  by  quotations  from  Daniel;  and 
must  be  succeeded  by  the  whole  period  of  the  seventh  seal, 
and  Laodicean  church.  The  scene  depicts  the  universal 
consternation  among  the  ruling  and  official  classes  of  the 
Eoman  "earth"  concerning  the  wonderful  change  that  has 
come  over  the  constituted  authorities  in  the  exercise  of 
power;  for  the  prophecy,  as  I  have  said,  relates  not  to 
individuals,  as  such,  but  to  systems,  and  the  official  charac- 
ters connected  with  them.  "Bondman"  and  "freeman," 
and  "chief  captains"  and  "mighty  men"  are  not,  therefore, 
such  literally,  but  relate  to  official  subordination  and  in- 
dependence in  position.  They  seem  to  recognize  the  in- 
tervention of  the  Almighty  and  the  displeasure  of  Him 
who  has  the  "key  of  David,"  to  open  and  to  shut;  and  to 
realize  His  predicted  "power,"  and  "wisdom,"  and 
"honor,"  to  control  events  according  to  His  will  (ch.  v. 
12).  And,  as  the  events  and  transformations  of  this  cen- 
tury loom  up  before  the  minds  of  those  who  have  marked 
the  opening  of  these  seals,  there  is  no  wonder  at  their 
expressed  anxiety;  for  the  day  of  their  pride  and  power 


240  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.       [part  iv. 

had  brought  the  day  of  their  "perplexity"  also — as  all  this 
century  thus  far  attests.  Hiding  in  the  dens  and  rocks 
of  the  mountains  (kingdoms)  would  represent  their  justify- 
ing themselves  individually  as  the  disinterested  servants 
of  the  governments — screening  their  personal  iniquities 
under  the  plea  of  governmental  interests  or  precedents, 
and  seeking  their  protection. 

"And  said  to  the  mountains  and  rocks,  Fall 
on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  Him  that  sit- 
teth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the 
Lamb." — Fear  seizes  the  political  spirits  of ^ the  world, 
but  it  is  not  intelligently  directed;  for  while  their  call 
for  governmental  help  or  protection  indicates  disturbed 
consciences,  and  some  knowledge  of  God  and  Christ  as 
instituting  judgments,  yet  their  fear  of  the  divine  does 
not  appear  greater  than  their  confidence  in  human  in- 
stitutions. The  description  seems  extravagant  until  the 
reader  is  familiar  with  prophetic  imagery.  But  in  rhetoric 
also  hyperbole,  exaggeration,  is  an  allow- 
Hyperboie  ^ihlQ  and  comniou  figure.     Jesus  said  that 

a  Common  Capcmaum  was   "exalted  unto  Heaven" 

Fisare.  John>  Said  that  if  all  the  things  which 

Jesus  said  and  did  were  written,  "the 
ivorld  itself  could  not  contain  the  books.'''  And  David,  in 
his  lamentation  over  the  death  of  Saul  and  Jonathan,  said, 
"they  were  swifter  than  eagles,  they  were  stronger  than 
lions."  (2  Sam.  i.  23.)  In  symbolic  prophecy  the  figure 
is  most  frequently  used — naturally  so.  If  any  one  is  un- 
certain on  this  point,  let  the  same  extravagance  (?)  of  joy 
put  into  the  typical  song  of  the  living  creatures  and  elders 
at  the  Lamb's  reception  of  the  power  (ch.  v.  12,  13)  be 
considered,  and  it  will  immediately  account  for  the  neces- 
sary typical  anxiety  in  the  minds  of  those  who  are  to 
come  under  the  exercise  of  the  power,  at  the  time  of  its 


CHAP.  XVI.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH   SEAL.  24! 

exercise,  to  be  in  keeping,  the  one  with  the  other.  But 
the  "extravagance"  really  is  in  onr  own  obtnseness,  and 
unimjjressibility,  in  matters  prophetic  and  divine.  And 
it  is  not  more  noticeable  on  this  special  point  than  on  the 
attention  which  is  nsually  given  to  all  things  earthly  and 
present,  and  the  general  indifference  shown  to  all  things 
heavenly  and  future.  To  illustrate  this,  let  us  give  a  little 
closer  attention  to  Daniel's  portrayal  of  this  same  judg- 
ment scene,  but  which  it  is  probable  that  the  greater  num- 
ber of  readers,  on  account  of  the  supposed  "extravagance" 
of  the  description,  class  as  a  fi}ial  judgment  scene  at  the 
end  of  time:  whereas  it  clearly  marks  only  the  destruction, 
by  the  direct  judgment  or  intervention  of  God,  of  the 
beast  pozvcrs  in  the  world.  For  the  power  had  only  been 
held  by  the  several  beasts  in  trust  (which  they  had  abused) 
since  "the  kingdom"  was  first  "given"  to  Nebuchadnezzar 
(Dan.  ii.  37);  to  the  lion,  the  bear,  the  leopard,  etc.  (Dan. 
vii.);  and  the  "great  sword"  was  ''given''  to  the  red  horse, 
and  the  "power"  was  "given"  to  the  pale  horse,  etc.  This 
power  once  secured,  was  relinquished,  and  reverted  to  its 
original  source,  only  through  the  judgments  of  the  Lord. 
Notice  the  words  of  the  Prophet  Daniel: — 

"  I  beheld  till  the  thrones  were  cast  down,  and  the  Ancient  of 
days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was  white  as  snow, 
Analogons  Pro-     and  the  hair  of  His  head  like  the  pure  wool : 
phetic  Scenrs.  His  throne  was  like  the  fiery  flame,  and  His 

wheels  as  burning  fire.  A  fiery  stream  issued 
and  came  forth  from  before  Him  :  thousand  thousands  ministered 
unto  Him,  and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before  Him  : 
the  judgment  was  set  and  the  books  were  opened. ' '—  Ch.  vii.  9, 10. 

Compare  this  pen-picture  with  that  of  Eevelation  iv. 
It  is  the  same  in  spirit  down  to  the  last  clause  of  the  above 
passage.  The  Eevelator  was  describing  the  original  inau- 
guration of  the  kingdom  under  Christ,  at  the  first  Advent. 


242  DIVINE   KKY   OF   THK   REVELATION.       [parT  IV 

Daniel  was  looking  beyond  this,  and  the  subsequent  dele- 
gation of  power  by  Christ  to  the  beasts,  to  the  revocation 
of  the  same  at  the  end  of  their  periods,  and  the  mnaugura- 
tion  of  the  kingdom  under  Christ,  for  Judgment  on  the 
beast-systems  because  of  the  misuse  of  delegated  power. 
Daniel  therefore  adds  to  his  picture: — 

"The  judgment  was  set,  and  the  books  were  opened.  I  be- 
held then,  because  of  the  voice  of  the  great  words  which  the  horn 
spake:  I  beheld  ^zrw  till  the  beast  zuas  slain,  Sind.  his  body  destroyed, 
and  given  to  the  burning  flame.  As  concerning  the  rest  of  the 
beasts,  they  had  their  dominion  taken  away  ;  yet  their  lives  were 
prolonged  for  a  season  and  time"  (ver.  ii,  12). 

In    explaining    this    vision,    Daniel    said    (ver.    25-27) 

that  the  power  given  to  the  horn  for  blas- 

Daniei'a  phemy,  and  for  wearing  out  the  saints, 

Explanation.         ^^.^g    f^j.    u^    ^j^^g^    ^-^^^g^    ^^^    ^    ^i^Xi;'    Or 

1,260  years.  "But  the  judgment  shall  sit, 
{i.  €.,  the  judgment  upon  the  papal  horn]  and  they  shall 
take  away  his  dominion  to  consume  and  destroy  it  unto'  the 
end"  (ver.  26).  For  there  are  two  other  periods  in  Daniel's 
visions  to  end  after  the  1,260  period,  which  cover  the 
"time  of  the  end" — a  period  of  more  than  a  century. 
Thus  he  represents  a  direct  war  upon  the  life  of  the  horn- 
power  after  his  dominio)i  is  taken  away,  contrary  to  the 
course  pursued  with  the  other  beasts,  whose  lives  were 
prolonged.  They  were  allowed  to  continue  their  home- 
rule  as  provinces  tributary  to  the  conquering  beast — they 
were  tolerated;  but  every  effort  is  made  to  arrest  and  con- 
sume the  life  of  the  last  beast  or  horn  under  fiery  judg- 
ment— "the  burning  flame,"  Daniel  calls  it;  but  the 
Revelator  terms  it  "seven  last  plagues,"  and  the  "lake  of 
fire."  And  it  is  said  that  they  were  cast  alive  into  the 
"Jake  of  fire"  (Rev.  xix.  20),  showing  it  to  be  a  process  of 


CHAP.  XVI.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH  SEAI.. 


243 


judgment  before  final  execution.     These  symbols  will  be 
treated  as  we  reach  them  in  their  places. 

"  For  the  great  day  of  His  wrath  is  come ;  and 
who  shall  be  able  to  stand." — Day  of  wrath  against 
Jezebel  for  seducing  the  C-hurch  to  commit  fornication 
and  to  eat  of  idol  sacrifices.  Day  of  predicted  judgment 
because  her  given  "space  for  repentance"  is  expired,  and 
she  has  not  repented  (ch.  iii.  21-34).  It  should  be  suffi- 
cient to  simply  repeat  here  (for  the  futurist  reader),  that 
whatever  this  day  of  wrath  may  be  thought  to  mean,  it 
is  all  under  the  sixth  seal,  and  is,  therefore,  necessarily  as 
far  removed  from  the  final  day  of  wrath  or  executive  judg- 
ment upon  the  world  at  large,  as  the  events  of  the  seventh 
seal  and  the  Laodicean  church  period  require  space  for 
accomplishment.  Every  rule  of  this  book  requires  it — 
a  proposition  so  simple  and  axiomatic,  that  it  would  even 
seem  piierile  to  explain  at  length  were  it  not  for  the  fact 
that  it  has  seemed  undiscoverable  to  the  mass  of  expositors. 
Its  parallels  are  ch.  xi.  18;  xiv.  10-13,  19;  xv.  1,  7,  8: 
xvi.  1,  2;  xix.  15-30;  and  they  fully  justify  the  above  state- 
ments, as  will  appear  when  they  are  reached. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CONTINUATION    OF    THE    SIXTH    SEAL— FOUE 
ANGELS  HOLD  THE  WINDS. 

THE    GREAT    SEALING    MESSAGE  —  AVHITE-ROBED    PHILADEL- 
PHIANS — FROM  THE  CONGRESS  OF  VIENNA, 

1815,  TO  1810. 

Text,  Chapter  vii.   1-17. 

1.  And  after  these  things  I  saw  four  angels  standing  on  the 
four  corners  of  the  earth,  holding  the  four  winds  of  the  earth,  that 
the  wind  should  not  blow  on  the  earth,  nor  on  the  sea,  nor  on  any 
tree. 

2.  And  I  saw  another  angel  ascending  from  the  east,  having 
the  seal  of  the  living  God  :  and  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice  to  the 
four  angels,  to  whom  it  was  given  to  hurt  the  earth  and  the  sea, 

3.  Saying,  Hurt  not  the  earth,  neither  the  sea,  nor  the  trees, 
till  we  have  sealed  the  servants  of  our  God  in  their  foreheads. 

4.  And  I  heard  the  number  of  them  that  were  sealed  :  and 
there  iverc  sealed  a  hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand  of  all  the 
tribes  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

5.  Of  the  tribe  of  Juda  ivere  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the 
tribe  of  Reuben  zvere  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Gad 
were  sealed  twelve  thousand. 

6.  Of  the  tribe  of  Aser  ivere  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the 
tribe  of  Nepthalim  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of 
Manasses  were  sealed  twelve  thousand. 

7.  Of  the  tribe  of  Simeon  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of 
the  tribe  of  Levi  ivere  sealed  twelve  thoiisand.  Of  the  tribe  oj 
Issachar  ivere  sealed  twelve  thousand. 

8.  Of  the  tribe  of  Zabulon  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of 
the  tribe  of  Joseph  ivcre  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin  were  sealed  twelve  thousand. 

9.  After  this  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  midtitude,  which  no 
man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and 
tongues,  stood  before  the  throne,  and  before  the  L^amb,  clothed 
with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands  ; 

244 


c!hap.  XVII.]  EPOCH  OF  YHK  SIXTH  SEAI.,  245 

10.  And  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  Salvation  to  our  God 
who  sitteth  upon  the  thtone,  and  unto  the  L,amb. 

11.  Arid  all  the  angels  stood  round  about  the  throne,  and  about 
the  elders  and  the  four  living  creatures,  and  fell  before  the  throne 
on  their  faces,  and  worshipped  God, 

12.  Saying,  Amen  :  Blessing,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and 
thanksgiving,  and  honor,  and  power,  and  might,  be  unto  our  God 
for  ever  ,and  ever.     Amen. 

13.  And  one  of  the  elders  answered,  sajdng  unto  me.  Who  are 
these  that  are  arrayed  in  white  robes?    and  whence  came  they  ? 

14.  And  I  said  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  knowest.  And  he  said  to 
me.  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have 
washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

15.  Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  serve 
Him  day  and  night  in  His  temple  :  and  He  that  sitteth  on  the 
throne  shall  dwell  among  them. 

16.  They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more ; 
neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat. 

17.  For  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall 
feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters  : 
and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes. 

J  -|-EEE  we  are  presented  again  with  a  most  remark- 
'^'^H  able,  and  apparently  extravagant,  change  of  scene: 
V^  angels  standing  on  the  four  corners  of  the  earth, 
holding  or  restraining  the  four  winds,  and  preparing  to 
seal  the  servants  of  God;  intended,  no  doubt,  to  impress  the 
Church  that  final  work  is  being  completed,  final  decisions, 
being  made,  and  final  conditions  about  to  be  entered  upon. 
If  the  hyperbolism,  bold  and  strong  as  it  is,  shall  only 
startle  thought,  awaken  interest,  and  arouse  action  in  the 
Church  and  among  those  who  are  ready  to  perish,  without 
hope,  it  shall  be  well  for  them. 

"After  these  things." — After  the  horrors,  the  con- 
fusion, and  the  convictions,  which  sprang  out  of  the 
French  Revolution — the  earthquake  which  came  with  the 
opening  of  this  seal. 

"  I  saw  four  angels  standing  on  the  four  cor- 


246  DIVINE   KEY   OP  THE   REVEtATlON.       [parT  iV. 

ners  of  the  earth,  holding  the  four  winds  of  the 
earth."— Four  angels  or  agencies— see  on  chap.  ii.  1,  p. 
69.  The  four  corners  of  tlie  earth  must  represent  the 
universality  of  the  influence  exerted  by  the  quadruple 
agency.  Holding  the  four  winds  must  symbolize  a  re- 
straining, or  holding  in  check,  the  spirit  of  zvar  abroad  in 
the  earth.  For  in  Daniel  vii.  3,  we  find  a  similar  scene: 
the  four  winds  of  heaven  were  striving  on  the  great  sea, 
and  four  beasts  came  up  out  of  the  troubled  sea.  Waters 
symbolize  "peoples,  and  multitudes,  and  nations,  and 
tongues"  (ch.  xvii.  15).  The  four  winds  lashing  the  waters 
into  angry  billows  and  dashing  them  against  each  other, 
form  an  easy  symbol  of  zvar,  by  which  the  four  empires 
rose  one  after  the  other. 

"  That  the  wind  should  not  blow  on  the  earth, 
nor  on  the  sea,  nor  on  any  tree."— That  the  spirit  of 
war  shonld  not  influence  the  empire  (the  "earth,"  as  in 
contrast  witli  "heaven,"  the  Church);  nor  the  infidel 
Republic  of  France  (the  "sea" — a  principal  body  of  the 
"waters"  which  had  been  so  much  disturbed);  nor  any 
prince  or  king  ("tree"  being  frequently  used  to  symbolize 
rulers — see  2  Chor.  xxv.  17-25;  Eze.  xvii.  1-14;  Dan.  iv. 
4,  5,  20-22)  to  inspire  a  general  war,  till  the  Church  could 
be  sealed. 

"And  I  saw  another  angel  ascending  from  the 
east." — Another  agency  of  God  ascending  (Greek,  apo 
anatoles  heliou)  from  the  sun  rising  {Emph.  Diag.  and 
Rez'is.).  He  came,  with  the  light  of  "present  truth,"  be- 
fore which  the  dim  mysticism  of  the  dark  ages  may  be 
dissipated  at  the  will  of  every  individual  according  as  he, 
or  she,  is  attentive  or  indifferent  to  the  messages  of  the 
Spirit  to  the  seven  churches,  and  to  the  signification  of 
these  opening  seals.  We  will  identify  the  angel  by  his 
work,  shortly. 


CHAP.  XVII.]  EPOCH   OF  THE   SIXTH    SEAL.  247 

"  Having  the  seal  of  the  hving  God." — Which 

represents  tnttli,  since  it  was  to  be  placed  in  the  forehead, 
the  seat  of  the  nnderstanding,  or  where  truth  is  perceived 
and  stored.  The  object  being  to  mark,  set  apart,  sanctify 
(John  XV.  3;  xvii.  17;  2  Thes.  ii.  13)  to  the  service  of  God. 

"And  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice." — All  the 

agencies  of  this  book  have  had  loud,  prompt  voices — 
courage  and  boldness  to  deliver  tlieir  messages — because 
they  were  designed  to  be  understood,  and  are  important  to 
know. 

"To  the  four  angels  to  whom  it  was  given  to 
hurt  the  earth  and  the  sea." — To  the  four  principal 
inde})endent  Powers  of  the  earth  then  capable  of  precipi- 
tating war,  or  liable  to  sanction  it.  The  four  agencies 
referred  to  are  doubtless  England,  and  the  three  Powers 
of  the  Holy  Alliance  known  as  the  "signatory  Powers;" 
namely,  Eussia,  Austria,  and  Prussia.  Had  they  hereto- 
fore exercised  such  power,  hurting  earth  and  sea?  De- 
scribing what  succeeded  the  shock  which  Europe  received 
from  the  excesses  of  the  Revolutionists,  history  answers: — 
"Angry  communications  were  exchanged  between  the  courts 

of  Vienna,  Berlin  and  Paris.  At  length  [about 
The  -Winds  of  March  ist,  1792]  *  *  *  the  Austrian  minister 
War  Unre-  Kauuitz  despatched  an  ultimatum  to  Paris,  de- 

stralned.  manding  that  the  French  monarchy  should  be 

re-established  in  conformity  with  the  royal 
declaration  of  June  23d,  17S9.  *  *  *  Europe  was  now  to  enter 
on  a  struggle  which,  whether  we  contemplate  the  momentous 
magnitude  of  the  interests  involved,  the  permanent  results  arising 
from  it,  or  the  terrible  extent  of  the  suffering  and  sacrifices  it  en- 
tailed, is  altogether  without  parallel  in  the  history  of  nations." 
{Student's  France,  pp.  545,  546.) 

"We  are  able  to  show,"  says  Durivage,  "  that  more  general 

actions  were  fought,  and  more  lives  lost  by  the 
Durivage  on  fortunes  of  war  from   1800  to   1815  than   ever 

the  winds.  before  in  a  period  of  ten  times  the  same  extent ; 

among  them  Marengo,  Alexandria,  Austerlitz, 
Corunna,  Aspen  and  Essling,  Wagram,  Borossa,  Elbuera,  Boridino, 


248  DIVINE    KEY   OP   THE    REVELATION.       [ PART  IV. 

IvUtzen,   Toplitz,    etc.,    *   *    amounting   to   nearly   two   hundred 
general  actions." — Cyclo.  of  Hist.,  p.  707. 

Prophecy  now  demanded  the  holding  of  these  winds 
of  war,  since  Jezebel  and  the  kings  who  had  committed 
fornication  with  her  had  received  so  severe  a  judgment, 
that  a  work  might  he  done  for  the  Church  and  the  world. 
Therefore  tlie  voice  was  heard,  saying: — 

"Hurt  not  the  earth,  neither  the  sea,  nor  the 
trees,  till  we  have  sealed  the  servants  of  our  God 
in  their  foreheads." — And  now,  according  to  the  marvel 
of  prophecy,  for  a  like  period  of  fifteen  years,  (until  the 
Revolution  in  France  of  1830,)  the  "earth"  and  "sea" 
were  as  comparatively  calm  as  they  had  been  storm-swept 
with  war.  Josiah  Conder,  in  the  Missionary  Annual  for 
1833,  speaking  of  the  period  succeeding  1815,  says  of  it: — 

"Comparatively  speatcing,  the  whole  earth  is  still;  and  with 
this   stillness   is    combined   a   very   general   ex- 
Conder  on  pectation,  vague  and  erring  though  it  may  be, 

tlie  Hoi«leii         Qf  great  remedial  changes,  of  a  moral  restora- 
Wlnds.  ^Jqi^     fatal     to    the     waning    superstitious    and 

cnmbling  ["iron    and  clay— Dan.  ii.  42,  43]   systems  of  the  old 
world." — Goodrich's  Hist,  of  the  Church,  p.  493. 

The  sealing  is  very  similar  to  the  marking  described 
in  the  ninth  chapter  of  Ezekiel:  one  with  an  inkhorn  was 
commanded  to  go  through  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  and  set  a 
mark  upon  the  foreheads  of  all  "who  sigh  and  who  cry  for 
all  the  abominations  that  be  done  in  the  midst  thereof." 
And  others  M-ere  commanded  to  follow  and  slay  all  who 
had  not  the  mark.'  So  here  the  war-judgments  in  the 
hands  of  the  four  agencies  are  stayed  until  those  who 
sigh  over  the  corruptions  and  desolations  of  the  Church 
can  be  sealed  for  preservation  and  blessing.  In  the  message 
to  this  people,  (the  Philadelphian  age — as  the  reader  will 
recall,)  they  who  faithfully  kept  the  word  of  His  patience 


CHAP.  XVII.]         EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH  SEAT..  249 

were  in  turn  to  be  kept  from  falling  when  the  test  of  faith 
in  prophecy  came — the  ''hour  of  trial;"  and  the  over- 
comers  were  promised  to  be  made  "pillars  in  the  temple," 
or  strong  supports  in  Gospel  work.  This  could  only  be 
done  by  giving  them  extra  and  increasing  light  on  the 
Word  of  Prophecy.  That  was  just  what  was  done  as  the 
answer  of  sealing  "in  the  forehead" — the  symbol  of  the 
understanding.  Daniel  said,  concerning  the  last  days  of 
his  sealed  vision,  "The  wise  shall  understand;"  while  "the 
wicked  shall  do  wickedly,  and  none  of  the  wicked  shall 
understand."  This  is  the  wisdom  of  obedience,  rather  than 
that  of  a  superior  order  of  mind,  as  seen  in  the  "wise 
virgins,"  who  did  right  in  keeping  the  word  of  patience, 
and  watching,  obediently,  in  contrast  with  the  "foolish 
virgins,"  who  did  "zuickedly"  in  not  keeping  the  Word  of 
Christ's  patience,  and  watching  continuously  for  His 
return. 

The   preparation  which   God   made  for  this  sealing 

was  to  darken  the  sun  and  moon  in  1780, 
Preimrtttory  jj^  tokcu  of  the  end  of  the  shortened  days 
to  tiie  Sealing.  (Matt.   xxiv.   21,   22),   and   of  the  great 

persecution;  then  at  the  end  of  the  whole 
period  came  the  predicted  judgment  by  the  French  in- 
fidels, who  went  further  and  darkened  the  Gospel  sun,  and 
the  moon  (as  reflecting  from  Moses  and  the  prophets);  then 
fifteen  years  of  dreadful  judgments  upon  the  whole  system 
of  European  Powers  which  had  tolerated  and  assisted  the 
papacy — all  "the  kings  of  the  earth,  the  chief  captains, 
and  the  mighty  men,"  etc.:  then  fifteen  years  of  quiet, 
Avhich  allowed  the  young  Bible  and  missionary  societies 
to  spring  into  great  activity;  a  more  general  dissemination 
of  knowledge  concerning  the  Bible,  the  prophecies,  and 
the  signs  of  the  times;  and  then  the  "hour  of  trial,"  as  we 
have  seen.     This  developed  the  wisdom  or  folly  of  the 


250  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.       [part  IV. 

masses  concerning  the  truth,  and  sealed  the  wise  "in  the 
forehead/'  in  a  figure. 

They  were  premature  in  their  expectations,  but  their 
very  mistake  taught  them  that  they  were 
Disapiiointment  j.^g|^|-  j^  the  main;  that,  though  the  Bride- 
leci  to  the  groom  was  tarrying,  he  was  yet  near,  in 

Discovery  of  ^  prophetic  scusc,  "cvcn  at  the  door." 
the  Old  Paths,  rpj^py  learned  to  greatly  love  the  doc- 
trine and  the  prospect;  and  besides, 
in  their  extended  and  earnest  investigations,  other  great 
truths  came  to  light  :  some  which  had  for  centuries 
been  lost  sight  of  through  the  creeds,  but  which  had  been 
struggling  for  recognition  since  Luther's  day;  namely,  the 
truth  concerning  one  God  and  Father;  concerning  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  through  the  virgin  Mary,  and 
as  such  not  a  son  independent  of  her;  concerning  the  Holy 
Spirit  "which  proeeedeth  from  the  Father,"  not  as  another 
Son,  or  an  independent,  sentient  being  or  person,  but  an 
influence,  a  "poiver,"  which  was  "poured  out"  upon  the  dis- 
ciples on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  "filled  all  the  house  where 
(the  apostles  and  disciples)  were  sitting;"  so  that  they  were 
anointed  with  it,  anil  immersed  in  it;  and  which  has  held 
a  controlling  influence  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  individual 
members  of  the  Church  to  tliis  day,  and  will  till  the  Lord's 
return,  and  forever.  That  the  whole  being  of  man  is 
subject  to  death,  which  is  entire  unconsciousness,  until 
the  resurrection  by  the  power  of  Christ.  That  the  earth, 
renovated  at  the  return  of  Jesus,  is  to  be  the  future, 
eternal  home  of  Christ  and  His  redeemed  people.  That 
the  Church  are  called  unto  holiness  or  sanctification, 
"without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord." 

To  seal  in  the  forehead,  literally,  would  be  to  mark 
or  set  apart  for  preservation,  while  others  are  to  be  de- 
stroyed, as  in  the  case  of  the  inkhorn  marking  of  Ezekiel 


CHAP.  XVII.]        EPOCH  OP  THE  SlJtTH  SEAt.  25 1 

and  the  Passover  blood  on  the  door-posts  of  ancient  Israel. 
But  with  God,  to  set  apart,  to  separate  for  preservation 
eternally,  is  to  sanctify  or  make  holy;  and  this  work  is 
accomplished  by  the  truth.  "God  hath  from  the  begin- 
ning," said  the  Apostle,  "chosen  you  to  salvation  through 
sanctifi cation  of  the  spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth'''  (2  Thes. 
ii.  13).  ,  "Sanctify  them  through  Thy  truth;  Thy  Word 
[not  a  human  formulation]  is  truth."  "For  their  sakes," 
said  Jesns  in  His  prayer,  "I  sanctify  myself,  that  they  also 
might  be  sanctified  through  the  truth''''  (John  xvii.  17,  19). 
Thousands  and  thousands  have  rejoiced  in  the  light  of 
these  plain  truths  during  the  last  half  century,  while  more 
thousands  are  still  in  the  toils  and  mazes  of  Roman  Trini- 
tarianism,  soul-immortality,  the  personality  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  the  devil,  the  "heaven's-my-horae"  songs  and 
like  theories. 

It  was  shown,  in  connection  with  the  message  to 
Philadelphia,  that  an  "hour  of  trial''  was  about  to  "come 
upon  all  the  world  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth." 
This  trial  was  in  connection  with  the  "open  door"  which 
we  found  was  the  restoration  of  the  Bible  to  the  world, 
as  a  free  book,  in  all  languages  and  dialects.  This  sealing 
in  the  forehead,  tlierefore,  must  be  of  those  who  are 
proven  by  that  test,  for  they  were  sealed  out  of  all  nations. 
IIow  much  of  absolute  truth  on  any  certain  line  one  must 
be  possessed,  in  order  to  be  sealed  unto  salvation,  must  be 
decided  by  the  sealing  angels:  all  mortals  will  necessarily 
come  short,  in  some  degree,  when  weighed  in  the  balance 
of  Heaven;  but  it  is  reasonably  certain  that  each  must  be 
found  possessed  of  the  "spirit  of  truth"  that  is  to  say, 
of  that  true  candor  of  faith,  and  courage  of  conviction, 
that  would  cause  them  to  receive  and  obey  the  truth,  at 
least  when  it  is  forced  upon  the  attention. 

"And  I  heard  the  number  of  them  that  were 


252  divine;   KElY   OF   l^ltj;    RElVEtATlON,       [parT  tv. 

Sealed,  a  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand,  sealed 
out  of  every  tribe  of  the  children  of  Israel." — In 

connection  with  this  statement,  by  way  of  emphasis,  are 
given  the  names  of  the  several  tribes.  It  cannot  be 
thought  that  the  number  is  literal,  but  a  figure  of  the 
perfect  number.  It  may  be  that  the  definite,  in  contrast 
with  the  indefinite  number,  which  immediately  follows, 
was  intended  to  startle  the  Jew  as  to  the  importance  of 
the  Gospel  dispensation,  and  the  work  of  Christ  among  the 
Gentiles.     The  indefinite  statement  is  as  follows: — 

"After  this  I  beheld,  and  lo,  a  great  multitude 
which  no  man  could  number." — These  were  "of  all 
nations,  and  kindreds,  and  peoples,  and  languages,"  and 
were  standing  "before  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands."  The 
whole  figure  will  yield  to  a  careful  survey  of  the  origin  of 
the  representation:  Thus;  nearly  all  the  symbols  of  this 
Eevelation,  and  of  prophecy  are  based  on  some  historic 
type  or  incident:  this  on  the  first  giving  of  the  Gospel  to 
the  nearly  apostate  Jewish  tribes.  The  light  shone  in  the 
"darkness,  and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not."  A 
limited  number  receited  it.  It  was  first  preached  to  them 
exclusively;  "after"  that  to  "every  nation,  and  kindred, 
and  people,  and  language" — i.  e.,  the  Gentile  world.  The 
Holy  Spirit  was  first  poured  out  on  Jews  only  at  Pentecost; 
afterward  on  the  Gentiles  at  the  house  of  Cornelius.  "It 
was  necessary,"  wrote  Paul,  "that  the  Gospel  should  first 
have  been  spoken  to  you;  but  seeing  ye  put  it  from  you, 
and  judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we 
turn  to  the  Gentiles;  for  so  the  Lord  hath  commanded 
us"  (x\cts  xiii.  46).  Those  Jews  were  the  special  people 
of  God  by  covenant  relation;  and  as  such,  in  figure,  rep- 
resent church  relationship  in  tlie  Gospel  dispensation. 
That  is,  God's  people  were  in  tribes  before  Christ,  but  in 


CHAP.  XVII  ]  EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH   SEAL.  253 

church  organizations  since;  while  the  Gentiles  were  with- 
out organization  or  covenant  relationship.  Thus  when 
the  Dark  Ages  were  ending,  and  the  light  of  truth  was  re- 
turning under  this  seal,  the  design  was  first  to  arouse  the 
chitrches  which  were  in  al)out  the  same  darkness  that  the 
Jews  were  at  the  First  Advent;  and  when  they,  as  organiza- 
tions, turned  from  it  and  despised  it,  choosing  to  remain 
on  "the  foundation  laid"  by  the  Eoman  Catholic  Councils 
and  bishops — "the  depths  of  the  adversary,  as  they  speak" 
— then  it  was  designed  to  go  to  those  outside,  in  the  "high- 
ways and  hedges,"  to  "constrain  them  to  come  in."  For 
as  the  body  of  the  Jewish  tribes  rejected  the  blessings  of 
the  "early  rain"  to  their  own  confusion,  so  the  masses  of 
Christendom  have  rejected,  and  are  rejecting,  the  blessings 
of  the  "latter  rain"  to  their  own  hurt. 

These  white-robed  ones,  with  palms  of  victory  over 

Death  and  the  pale  horse,  have  none  of 
The  Sealed  Ones  jezebcl's  livcry  ou.  Their  robes  are  the 
ideutiiied.  rightcousness  of  saints;  and  iheir  blood 

stained  all  the  garments  of  the  mother  of 
abominations.  They  had  not  eaten  at  "Jezebel's  table," 
and  therefore  were  heretics  to  those  Jezebelitic  churclimen 
who  "laid  the  foundation  on  which  the  orthodox  Christo- 
logy  of  our  days  is  still  resting;"  but  they  have  found  on 
the  Lord's  table  the  pure  Word  of  God.  They  are  not 
lauding  the  Eomanist  Councils,  but  "our  God  who  sits  on 
the  throne,  and  the  Lamb."  They  rejoice  that  he  who 
exalted  himself  in  God's  temple  is  dethroned,  and  there  is 
none  to  fear  or  worship  any  more  but  God.  "These  are 
they  who  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed 
their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb."  It  is  the  martyr  throng  from  under  the  Sardian 
altar — not  necessarily  all  the  individuals,  but  the  over- 
coming company  that  crossed  the  line  into  Philadelphia. 


254  DIVINE   KE\    OP  THE   REVELATION.        [part  IV. 

The  cause  of  their  tribulation  was  their 
Truth  was  so-called  hcresy,  and  the  nature  of  their 

Misnamed  heresY  was  the  belief  in  "one  God/'  ac- 

"Heresy."  cording  to  the  Scriptures,  but  contrary  to 

the  Eoman  creed  (and  there  is  really  no 
other  creed  in  all  Christendom);  the  belief  in  one  nature 
in  Christ  (at  one  time),  as  we  have  seen,  but  contrary  to 
the  Councils  of  Nice  and  Chalcedon;  the  belief  that  the 
soul  is  not  an  immortal  entity  that  can  live  independent 
of  the  body,  and  that  (in  the  language  of  that  noble  mar- 
tyr, George  Wishart)  man  "will  not  obtain  immortal  life" 
until  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day — contrary  to  Leo  X. 
and  the  Council  of  Lateran;  that  life  is  "hid  with  Christ 
in  God  [not  in  the  soul];  and  when  He  who  is  our  life 
shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him  in  glory" 
(Col.  iii.  3,  4).  Their  righteousness  is  not  their  "own" 
righteousness,  nor  that  of  "the  Church,"  but  of  God. 

"  Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God, 
and  publicly  serve  Him  day  and  night  in  His 
temple." — The  Greek  warrants  the  rendering  ''  pjiblicly'' 
serve  him.  Young,  yi  his  Analytical  Concordance,  thus 
defines  latrci'io,  and  it  is  so  given  in  the  Emphatic  Diaglott. 
It  is  a  beautiful  thought  in  this  connection.  All  through 
the  long  centuries  of  papal  persecutions,  the  Church  were 
forced  to  seek  secluded  resorts  in  desolate  frontiers,  un- 
frequented valleys  or  mountain  fastnesses,  in  order  to 
worship  God  according  to  the  Scriptures,  reason,  and  the 
dictates  of  their  consciences.  But  now  a  marvelous  change 
has  come,  and  tlie  open  door  of  free  thouglit,  free  speech, 
free  home  and  freedom  of  public  worship  "in  the  temple," 
or  in  the  great  congregation,  to  remove  the  figure,  calls 
forth  this  glad  thanksgiving  song:  "Blessing,  and  glory, 
and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  and  honor,  and  power,  and 
might  be  unto  our  God  forever  and  ever.     Amen."     Note 


CHAP.  XVII.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH  SEAL.  255 

the  contrast,  as  Dr.  Barber  describes  the  sufferings  of  the 
Scottish  Covenanters  during  the  rage  of  papal  persecu- 
tions:— 

"During  the  storm  of  religious  persecution  which  raged  in 

Scotland,  the  Covenanters  were  hunted  from 
Dr.  Barber  on  tiie  crag  to  glen,  throughout  the  highlands.  The 
Scotilsli  story  of  their  sufferings  is  almost  incredible. 

Covenanters.  Nothing  can  be  more  affecting  than  the  meas- 

iires  they  took  to  enjoy  the  privileges  of 
religious  worship.  Watches  were  stationed  from  hill  to  hill — 
men  so  sunburnt  and  worn  out  that  they  could  be  hardly  distin- 
guished from  the  heather  of  the  mountains — who  gave  a  note 
of  alarm  on  the  approach  of  danger,  and  the  Covenanters  had 
time  to  disperse  before  the  bloody  swords  gleamed  in  the  retreats 
where  they  worshipped.  In  the  gloomy  caverns  and  recesses  made 
by  the  awful  hand  that  fashioned  Scotland's  mountain  scenery, 
these  martj-rs,  each  one  nioi:rning  some  dear  friend  who  had 
been  hunted  down  by  the  destroyers,  met  and  heard  the  mysterious 
words  of  God,  and  sung  such  wild  songs  of  devotion,  that  they 
might  have  been  tjiought  the  chantings  of  mountain  spirits.  As 
their  sufferings  increased,  their  sermons  and  devotional  exercises 
approached  nearer  to  the  soul-chilling  trumpetings  of  the  ancient 
prophets,  when  they  foresaw  desolation  coming  out  of  the  North 
like  a  whirlwind." 

James  Grahanie,.  the  Scottish  divine  and  poet,  thus 
beautifully  describes  one  of  their  assemblies  for  preach- 
ing:— 

"  But  years  more  gloomy  followed  ;  and  no  more 
The  assembled  people  dared,  in  face  of  day. 
To  worship  God,  or  even  at  the  dead 
Of  night,  save  when  the  wintry  storm  raved  fierce, 
And  thunder  peals  compell'd  the  men  of  blood 
To  crouch  within  their  dens  ;  then  dauntless 
The  scattered  few  would  meet  in  some  deep  dell, 
B)'  rocks  o'er-canopied,  to  hear  the  voice. 
Their  faithful  Pastor's  voice  ;  he,  by  the  gleam 
Of  sheeted  lightnings,  op'ed  the  sacred  book, 
And  words  of  comfort  spake  :  over  their  souls 
His  soothing  accents  came — as  to  her  young 
The  heath-fowl's  plumes,  when  at  the  close  of  eve. 
She  gathers  in,  mournful,  her  brood  dispersed 
By  murderous  sport,  and  o'er  the  remnant  spreads 
Fondly  her  wings  ;  close  nestling  'neath  her  breast 
They,  cherished,  cower  amid  the  purple  blooms." 


256  DIVINE    KEY    OF    THE    REVELATION.       [parT  IV. 

After  twelve  centuries  of  such  cruel  treatment  and 
sufferings,  when  the  effectual  "door"  of  Philadelphia  and 
the  sixth  seal  was  thrown  open  to  them,  that  they  might 
publicly  worship  God,  and  rejoice  in  Christ,  why  should 
they  not  shout?  "Amen:  blessing  and  glory,  and  thanks- 
giving, and  honor,  he  unto  our  God  for  ever  and  ever." 
The  man  of  sin  has  now  lost  his  place  of  blasphemy  "in 
the  temple"  and  the  people  can  fearlessly  enter.  Critically 
rendered,  the  text  continues: — 

"And  He  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall 
spread  His  tabernacle  over  them." — So  the  Revision 
and  Diaglott.  The  symbol  is  drawn  from  the  cloud  which 
covered  the  Hebrews  at  the  time  of  their  deliverance  from 
the  cruel  bondage  of  Egypt.  Said  the  Psalmist,  "He 
spread  a  cloud  for  a  covering,  and  fire  to  give  them  light 
in  the  night"  (Ps.  cv.  39).  Isaiah  also  uses  the  same 
beautiful  figure  in  describing  the  Gospel  rest  as  a  relief 
from  the  "yoke  of  bondage"  (ch.  iv.  5,  6):  "And  the  Lord 
shall  create  upon  every  dwelling  place  of  Mount  Zion,  and 
upon  her  assemblies,  a  cloud  and  smoke  by  day,  and  the 
shining  of  a  flaming  fire  by  night;  for  above  all  the  glory 
shall  be  for  a  covering  [margin;  "canopy,"  Revision].  And 
there  shall  be  a  tabernacle  [pavilion,  Revision]  for  a  shadow 
in  the  daytime  from  the  heat,  and  for  a  place  of  refuge, 
and  for  a  covert  from  storm  and  from  rain."  It  is  divine 
protection. 

"They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst 
any  more." — They  have  been  hungering  for  the  Word  of 
God.  It  was  shown  in  connection  with  the  message  to 
Philadelphia  (pp.  159,  160)  how  the  Scriptures  were  forced 
out  of  the  bands  of  the  common  people  by  all  the  power 
the  popes  could  wield.  The  consequent  hunger  for  the 
word  is  further  shown  by  the  dearth  of  Bibles  among  the 
people,  at  the  beginning  of  this  century,  even.     The  fol- 


CHAP.  XVII.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH   SEAI,  257 

lowing  statistics,  remarkable  to  consider,  are  found  in  the 
Encyclopaedia  Britannica : — 

"In  1S12  inquiry  was  made  in  the  case  of  17,000  families  in 
London ,  when  it  was  discovered  that  half  of  them 
Former  Deartii       did  not  possess  a  Bible  at  all.     ****** 
of  Bibles.  '<  When  the  [B.  and  F.  Bible]  society  began 

to  inquire  into  the  state  of  the  continent,  the 
dearth  of  the  Scriptures  was  found  to  be  greater,  if  possible,  than 
at  home.  Thus,  in  Ivithnria,  among  18,000  Germans,  7,800  Polish, 
and  7,000  Lithurian  fL\milies,  >ioi  a  Bible  was  to  be  found.  One- 
half  the  population  of  Holland  appeared  to  be  without  the  Scrip- 
tures. In  Poland  a  Bible  could  not  be  obtained  at  any  price.  In 
the  district  of  Dorphat  (Esthonia),  containing  106,000  inhabitants, 
not  200  Testaments  were  to  be  found,  and  there  were  pastors  who 
did  not  possess  the  Scriptures  in  the  dialect  in  which  they  preached. 
Into  Iceland,  with  a  population  of  50,000,  of  whom  almost  all  could 
read,  not  above  40  or  50  copies  had  penetrated  ;  while  in  Sweden 
a  single  auxiliary  found  13,000  families  totally  unprovided. "  (Art., 
Bible  Societies.) 

The  people  of  this  generation  have  small  appreciation 
of  their  privileges,  in  stich  marked  contrast  with  our  per- 
secuted ancestors,  being  surfeited,  it  may  be  said,  Avith 
copies  of  the  Scriptures  in  their  own  language,  and  hav- 
ing every  opportunity  and  facility  for  studying  them, 
which  they  greatly  neglect. 

"Neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them  any  more, 
nor  any  heat." — This,  with  the  preceding  clause,  form- 
ing verse  16,  in  connection  with  verse  17,  is  drawn  from  a 
prophecy  of  Isaiah  concerning  the  change  which  came  to 
Israel  at  the  First  Advent,  when  the  darkness,  and  the 
bondage,  into  which  the  Church' had  fallen  in  those  days, 
were  in  like  manner  displaced  by  the  work  of  Christ.  I 
will  paraphrase  the  passage  a  little  to  show  us  the  striking 
analogy  between  that  original  work  of  Jesus  and  this 
under  the  sixth  seal.     Isaiah  says: — 

"  In  an  acceptable  time  have  I  heard  Thee,  and  in  a  day  of 
salvation  have  I  helped  Thee  ;  and  I  will  preserve  Thee,  and  give 


258  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION        [parT  IV. 

Thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  to  i-aise  iip  the  earth,  to  cause 
to  inherit  the  desolate  heritages  :  that  thou  uiayest  say  to  the 
prisoners,  [cr3'ing  under  the  altar].  Go  forth;  to  them  that  are  in 
darkness,  [hidden  away,  fearing  the  c/utrch  and  its  traditions,] 
Shew  yourselves.  They  shall  feed  in  the  [public]  ways,  and  their 
pastures  shall  be  in  all  high  places  They  shall  not  hunger  nor 
thirst ;  neither  shall  the  heat  nor  sun  [judgments  declared  by  the 
Word  against  persecutors]  smite  them  ;  for  He  that  hath  mercy  on 
them  shall  lead  them,  even  by  the  springs  of  water  shall  He  guide 
them."     (Isa.  xlix.  8-10.) 

The  parallelism  is  perfect  in  all  its  parts.  Jesus  came 
to  liberate  the  prisoners  and  captives  (Luke  iv.  18-20),  but 
also  to  introduce  a  day  of  vengeance  (Isa.  Ixi.  1,  2;  Luke 
xii.  49)  upon  their  prison-keepers  and  captors.  And  so 
under  the  seal  came  not  only  the  restored  bread  and  water 
of  life,  and  protection  from  heat  and  sun,  but  the  Judg- 
ment avenging  them  of  their  adversaries,  which  was 
promised  them  under  the  altar  of  the  fifth  seal.  And  this 
judgment,  from  which  they  zucrc  free, 
scorciiiug;  came  upon  the  papal  "dwellers  upon  the 

Power  earth"  through  the   scorching  effects  of 

of  tiie  Truth,  ^j^g  Gos]iel  suu.  That  the  Word  has  such 
powel-  is  seen  by  the  Prophet  Jeremiah 
(ch.  V.  10-14),  where  he  charges  the  Church  with  dealing 
"treacherously"  against  the  Lord,  having  "belied"  Him; 
and  that  the  "Word  is  not  in  them:"  "Wherefore  thus 
saith  the  Lord  (xod  of  the  hosts.  Because  ye  speak  this 
word,  behold  I  will  make  My  words  fire,  and  this  people 
icood,  and  it  shall  devour  them."  Compare  also  ch.  xxiii. 
28,  29;  Isa.  xxx.  27,  etc. 

It  is  this  power  of  the  Word  that  causes  men  who 
depart  from  its  spirit  to  hate  it;  but  why  had  God's  people 
been  hungry  for  the  Word  of  God?  Because  the  papal 
"man  of  sin,"  for  the  time,  was  in  pozver  in  the  temple, 
or  Church.     Why  will  they  "hunger  no  more,"  now? 


CHAP.  XVII.]  EPOCH   OF  THE  SIXTH  SEAL.  259 

"For  the  Lamb  that  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne  SHALL  FEED  THEM,  and  shall  lead  them 
unto  living  fountains  of  water." — To  be  in  the  throne 

is  to  he  in  pim'cr  in  the  temple  or  Church  again  (Isa.  xvi. 
5).     And  thus,  when  God  and  Christ  resume  their  places, 
and  feed  the  Cliurch  again,  it  will  not  be  a  mixed  diet  of 
human  theory,  tradition,  and  chaff,  such  as  the  pope-god 
and  his  councils  have  furnished,  but  of   His  own  pure 
word    of    truth — geuuine    wheat,    as    furnished    by    pro- 
phets and  apostles.     And  the  fountains  to  which  God  will 
lead   them   will  not  be   human   "cisterns,"   the   so-called 
"orthodox"  creeds,  but  to  the  river  of  the  pure  water  of 
life  through  our  Lord  Jesus;  for  our  future  life  is  through 
faith   in  Him,   contrary   to   the   trumpetings    of   popular 
Christendom  that  it  is  a  product  of  the  natural  "immor- 
tality  of   the    soul."     "My   people   have   committed   two 
evils,"  said  God,  "they  have  forsaken  me,  the  fountain  of 
living  waters,  and  have  hewed  them  out  cisterns,  broken 
cisterns,  that  can  hold  no  water" — or  give  no  (future)  life 
(Jer.  ii.  13).     We  have  seen  that  ancient  Israel  learned 
in  Egypt  the  doctrines  of  the  natural  immortality  of  the 
soul,  its  transmigration  to  other  bodies  at  death,  etc.,  and 
all  their  prophets  reproved  them.     Isaiah  had  described 
the  reception  of  false  views  very  much  as  Jesus  did  in  the 
message  to  Thyatira,  under  the  symbol  of  "eating  things 
sacrificed  unto  idols"  or  false  gods.     That  prophet  says: — 

"  They  err  iu  vision,  they  stumble  in  judgment.  For  all  tad/es 
are  full  of  vomit  and  filthiuess,  so  that  there  is  no  place  clean. 
Whom  shall  He  teach  knowledge?  and  whom  shall  He  make  to 
understand  doctrine?  *  *  *  Wherefore  hear  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  ye  scornful  men  that  ru/e  this  people  that  is  in  Jerusalem 
[i.  e.,  in  the  Nicolaitan  sense].  Because  ye  have  said,  We  have 
made  a  covenant  with  dea/Zi  [as  if  it  were  '  the  gate  to  glory,' '] ,  and 
with  s/ieo/  ["  gravedom, ' '  the  buried  or  ' '  under-the-altar, ' '  condition 
— see  definition  on  page  221]  are  we  at  agreement ;  when  the  over- 


26o  DIVIN:^   key   of   the   revelation.       [part  IV. 

flowing  scourge  shall  pass  through  it  shall  uot  come  unto  us  ;  for 
we  have  made  lies  [creeds]  our  refuge,  and  under  falsehoods  have 
we  hid  ourselves  :  therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  lay 
in  Zion  for  a  foundation  [of  future  life,  by  a  resurrection  from  the 
dead]  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a  precious  corner-stone,  a  sure  founda- 
tion :  he  that  believeth  shall  not  make  haste  [to  receive  reward  at 
death,  by  "agreement"  with  grave-land].  Judgment  also  will  I 
lay  to  the  line,  and  righteousness  to  the  plummet ;  and  the  hail 
\_the  trHth~\*  shall  sweep  away  the  refuge  of  lies,  and  the  waters 
[which  Jesus  gives— true  living  water  ;  that  of  eternal  life— John 
iv.  10-14]  shall  overflow  the  hiding  place.  And  your  covenant  with 
death  shall  be  disannulled,  and  your  agreement  with  sheol  ['  grave- 
land  ']  shall  not  stand." — (Isa.  xxviii.  7-18  ;  and  see  ch.  xlix.  2.) 

It  is  truth  only  that  tests  faith,  truth  which  is  re- 
A^ealed  in  the  Word,  and  as  it  is  there  set  forth;  and  noth- 
ing that  we  can  arrange  can  take  its  place.  The  sure 
foundation  for  future  life  as  set  forth  hy  God,  is  Christ, 
who  is  the  ^Resurrection  and  the  life,"  not  the  "tfra^A-and- 
glory"  foolishness  of  men.  It  is  not  happiness  merely 
that  is  promised  to  Christians,  but  LIFE  which  is  the  basis 
of  all  experience.  The  following  is  the  emphatic  rendering 
of  1  John  V.  11,  12  in  the  Emphatic  Diaglott:  "And  this 
is  the  TESTiMONY,vThat  God  has  given  to  us  [the  Church] 
aionian  Life,  and  This  life  is  in  his  son.  He  who  has 
the  SON  has  the  life;  he  who  has  not  the  son  has  not 
the  life."  Having  secured  the  LIFE,  we  have  hope. 
(John  vi.  37-40;  44,  45;  53,  54;  Lu.  xx.  35,  36;  Phil, 
iii.  8-14.) 

"And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from 
their  eyes." — These  are  the  tears  of  a  class,  those  for- 
merly "under  the  altar,"  and  the  promise  relates  only  to 
persecution  tears.     The  beheaded  weepers  asked  only  for 

*  Hail  is  a  symbol  of  truth,  because  it  cuts  and  pierces,  like  that  other  symbol, 
the  "  sharp  two-edged  sxvord."  Besides,  truth  is  the  only  thing  that  can  "  sweep 
a«ay  "  a  lie ;  the  prophet  so  uses  it,  as  also  the  Revelator.  See  also  verse  2,  of 
same  chapter. 


CHAP.  XVII.  ]  EPOCH  OF  THE  SIXTH  SEAL. 


261 


judgment  upon  their  persecutors.  Now  the  promise  is 
fulfilled  to  them;  they  are  liberated,  and  free  to  worship 
God  anywhere  without  molestation.  They  have  the  bread 
and  water  of  life  now  in  easy  access  to  all — the  pure  Word 
of  God  scattered  as  autumn  leaves;  displacing  the  au- 
thority of  creeds  and  human  "disciplines" — and  there  is 
no  more  cause  for  "under-the-altar"  tears.  But  God,  not 
man,  has  wiped  them  away,  through  the  judgments  brought 
upon  the  "man  of  sin." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

VII.    THE    SEVENTH    SEAL    OPENED— HALF 
HOUR'S  SILENCE  IN  HEAVEN. 

NO   PROMPT  RESPONSE  FROM  THE   WAITING   CHURCH. 

Text,  Chapter  viii.   1. 

"And  when  He  had  opened  the  seventh  seal,  there  was  silence 
in  heaven  about  the  space  of  half  an  hour." 

WE  have  had  the  "noise  of  thunder/'  the  "loud 
voice,"  or  the  "great  earthquake,"  heretofore, 
in  the  opening  of  the  seals,  but  now,  at  least 
by    contrast,    and    to    the    thoughtful,    a    more    striking 
change  in  the  silence  that  ensues — 

"Silence  in  heaven." — At  the  opening  of  each  of 
the  other  seals  the  promptly  responding 
No  Prompt  "VqIcc"    or    "thundcr,"    loud    and    clear, 

Call  to  called,  "Come  and  see"!  attracting  the  at- 

"Come  and  See."  tgntiou  of  the  Church,  and  of  the  perish- 
ing world  if  they  would  listen,  to  what 
was  next  to  occur.  But  now  it  is  quiet — no  voice,  thun- 
der nor  earthquake;  but  a  half  hour's  hesitating  silence 
in  the  "heaven"  of  this  prophecy,  the  Church.  How  can 
she  love  the  appearing  of  her  Lord,  if  there  is  not  a  ready 
response  at  every  token  of  the  nearing  Advent  welling  up 
from  her  inmost  affection,  and  crying  out,  "Amen.  Even 
so.  Come,  Lord  Jesus"?  Ah,  it  is  the  Laodicean  period 
opening  now,  and  lukewarmness  is  to  reign.  The  Lamb 
of  God  has  broken  another  seal,  the  last  one  of  the  series, 
and  holds  up  the  open  pages  of  the  book,  but,  for  the 

262 


CHAP.  XVIII]       EPOCH   OF   THE   SEVENTH   SEAL  263 

moment,  there  is  neither  "angel"  nor  elder  to  say,  Come 
and  see.  We  shall  find  the  explanation  in  connection 
with  the  Eainljow  Angel  soon  (chapter  x. — see  diagram). 

"About  the  space  of  half  an  hour." — An  indefi- 
nite, short  space,  representative  of  only  a  brief  period  for 
the  fulfillment;  for  in  its  connection  with  these  symbols, 
it  must  be  symbolic,  and  not  a  literal  space.  Laodicea, 
the  name-symbol  for  this  last  period,  had  "an  hour  of 
trial''  which  she  was  not  able  to  endure  creditably  enough 
to  hear  the  Master,  say  "Well  done,"  but,  instead,  "Be- 
cause thou  art  lukewarm,  I  will  spew  thee  out  of  My 
mouth;''  and  all  because  when  the  Lord  called  out  this 
opened  seal,  or  period,  her  indifference  to  divine  things — 
even  prophecy — was  upon  her,  and  she  could  not  promptly 
and  earnestly  respond,  with  a  true,  warm  missionary  invi- 
tation, to  all  within  the  sound  of  her  voice,  to  behold  what 
the  Lord  will  do. 

The  "virgins,"  with  trimmed  lamps,  were  wide  awake 
in  Philadelphia,  and  during  the  period  of  the  sixth  seal; 
but  they  are  slumbering  and  sleeping  in  Laodicea,  and 
during  the  seventh  and  last  period  of  her  history!  A 
world  doomed  to  destruction!  the  last  hour  striking  by 
the  great  prophetic  clock  of  the  ages!  and  the  Church  as 
much  asleep  in  indifference  as  the  world! 
sinmberinj;-  Aslccp  proplictically:  not  that  she  has  no 
and  siccDinsr  couscious  dcsirc  to  savc  the  perishing,  no 
Propiieticaiiy.  niissious  and  no  sacrifices,  by  any  means; 
but  the  Lord  said  He  would  rather  that  she 
iverc  cold,  than  making  the  misdirected  efforts  that  she  is. 
God's  ways  and  thoughts  are  higher  than  hers,  and  she 
knows  it,  but  she  is  satisfied  zvith  her  oivn  thoughts  and 
ways;  and  that  is  her  fault — her  "lukewarmness."  God's 
way  is  to  "thunder"  His  prophetic  marvels  in  the 
ear    of    the    world,    to    startle    an    intelligent    individual 


264  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.        [PART  IV. 

investigation,  on  which  to  build  an  intelligent,  opera- 
tive faith  in  the  coming  of  Israel's  King  and  Life- 
giver.  For  all  the  Scriptui'es  iterate  and  reiterate 
the  great  truth,  that  all  hope  of  future  life  and  im- 
mortality  depends  on  that  coming,  and  a  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  or  the  equivalent  "change"  of  the  liv- 
ing saints.  But  through  the  pride  of  the  human  heart 
which  despises  subjection  to  death,  which  is  nevertheless 

the  inexorable  penalty  of  God's  violated 
Tratiition  j^^^^,^  j^j^^j  tlirougli  tradition  and  vain  phi- 

ami  Vain  losophy  of  men,  the  theory  has  prevailed 

piiiiosopiiy  g]j  along  the  ages — as  general  doubt  and 

at  Fanit.  disobediencc  have  prevailed — that  the  true 

and  higher  life  begins  at  the  event  of 
death  by  the  escape  of  an  imprisoned,  conscious  spirit, 
also  popularly  called  the  soul.  When  the  Church  received 
this  view,  as  she  did  from  heathen  philosophers,  she  taught, 
of  course,  that  the  "departed"  soul  had  gone  to  be  with 
Christ  in  Heaven.  And  that  moment  she  lost  her  in- 
terest in  the  return  of  Christ  to  earth,  and  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead.*  For  why  should  He  come  again  to  us,  if 
dying  saints  go  immediately  to  Him?  Thus  Israel  of  the 
nineteenth  century  is  but  repeating  the  history  of  Israel 
of  the  first,  as  the  great  Apostle  testifies,  saying,  "They 
that  dwell  at  Jerusalem  and  their  rulers,  because  they 
knew  Him  not,  nor  yet  the  voices  of  the  prophets  which  are 
read  every  Sabbath  day,  they  have  fulfilled  them  in  con- 
demning Him"  (Acts  xiii.  27). 

So  prophecy  is  a  dead  letter  to  the  mass  of  Christen- 
dom to-day.  "They  make  broad  their  phylacteries,  and 
enlarge  the  borders  of  their  garments"  again,  and  are 
called  by  men,  Eeverend  doctors  and  teachers;  but  they 

*  See  A  Reply  to  Dr.  Lyimin  AbhoU,  Concerning  the  Resurrection  of  the  Dead, 
by  W.  N.  Pile  (Herald  of  Life  Office,  Springfield,  Mass.). 


CHAP,  xvili]       EPOCH   OF  THE  SEVENTH  SEAL.  265 

heed  not  the  voice  of  Christ,  and  have  not  the  "testimony 
of  Jesus,"  for  they  have  not  the  "spirit  of  prophecy''  (Eev. 
xix.   10).     And  so  it  is  that  the   Church   at  large,   that 

is,  as  popnhirly  seen  (I  say  it  sadly), 
Popular  jg  plodding  witli  flickering  lamp  over  an 

Revival  idolatrous  computation,  and  flattering  the 

Methods  perishing   multitudes   with   her    inability 

Faulty.  -(-Q  express  a  commensurate  estimate  of  the 

'"inherent  value  of  a  human  soul"!  and 
making  that,  more  than  the  present  work  of  Christ  in  con- 
nection with  all  His  past  doings,  an  object  for  recognition 
and  a  motive  for  action.  That  the  "value,"  in  the  estima- 
tion of  God,  is  not  in  the  soul  alone  considered,  but  in  the 
loving,  obedient  soul,  is  shown  by  the  perishing  millions 
left  with  scanty  opportunities  to  know  God  and  His  re- 
quirements. Albeit  the  spirit  of  obedience  may  as  easily 
be  tested  in  the  dark  as  in  the  light — as  perfectly  and 
fairly,  if  not  as  solicitously  and  graciously,  else,  what 
meaning  to  Paul's  words  to  the  Eomans,  chapter  i.  19-35 
and  ii.  12-16  ?  Can  the  Church  be  justified  in  toy- 
ing thus  amidst  the  prophetic  voices  and  thunders,  and 
refusing  her  Lord's  invitation  to  Come  and  see?  She 
thinks  to  evangelize  the  world,  asks  sinners  to  hold  up 
their  hands  or  sign  cards,  and  endeavors  to  induce  them 
to  say,  We  will  obey  Christ,  and  "join  some  orthodox 
church"!  but  she  will  not  say,  "Come  and  see"  what  Christ 
has  done  and  is  doing  prophetically,  to  move  the  people 
as  He  would  move  them.  She  will  not  say,  "Behold,  He 
cometh  with  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  Him!  She  will 
not  say  with  the  "wise  virgins,"  Behold,  the  Bridegroom 
cometh;  go  ye  out  to  meet  Him!"  Is  it  not  because  He 
tarried  to  the  disappointment  of  the  few  watchers,  in  an 
"hour  of  trial,"  once?  and  because  it  has  become  a  matter  of 
indifference  to  her,  at  best,  through  neglect  of  "the  Word 


266  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE    REVEI.ATION.       [parT  IV. 

of  (Jesus')  patience"  in  Philadelphia,  and  not  being  kept 
now  in  Laodicea?  What  other  reason  can  be  assigned  for 
this  continued  "silence  in  Heaven"  on  the  part  of  all  save 
the  agency  represented  by  the  Eainbow  Angel  (of  chapter 
X.,  next  to  be  introduced)? 

"Who  then  shall  conquer?     Who  maintain  the  fight? 
Even  they  who  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight : 
Who,  having  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white, 
Press  toward  the  mark,  and  see  the  promised  land. 
Not  dim  and  distantly,  but  near  at  hand." 

—Jane  Taylor. 

At  this  point  of  silence  Jesus  drops,  for  the  time,  the 
events  of  the  seal,  and  introduces  the  series  of  seven 
trumpets,  six  of  which  He  details  in  this  eighth  and  the 
ninth  chapters,  and  returns  to  the  events  of  this  seal  in 
the  tenth  chapter,  with  the  evident  object  of  bringing  the 
relative  events  of  the  last  or  seventh  seal  and  seventh 
trumpet  into  very  close  connection  before  the  reader  as 
they  are  brought  out,  making  it  easier  to  associate  their 
harmonies,  and  tending  to  intensify  the  effect.  The  seals 
are  completed,  it  will  be  noticed,  at  chapter  xi.  14,  the 
first  thirteen  verses;  of  which  are  data  furnished  by  the 
French  Eevolution,  and  introduced  there  to  enable  us  to 
locate  ourselves  in  relation  to  the  1,260  years  persecution 
and  papal  dominion  in  the  "temple  of  God;"  and  then  the 
seventh  trumpet  occupies  the  remaining  five  verses  of  the 
chapter.  The  reader  can  follow  this  order  by  reading 
between  this  and  the  next  chapter  the  exposition  of  the 
first  six  of  the  trumpets;  then,  returning,  and  reading. 
The  Events  of  the  Seventh  Seal  before  reading  what  is  said 
in  connection  with  the  seventh  trumpet.  Else  read  on 
regularly  (with  the  exposition)  and  re-read  the  seventh 
seal  after  the  seventh  trumpet. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  TARDY  EVENTS  OE  THE  SEVENTH  SEAL— 
THE  MIGHTY  RAINBOW  ANGEL. 

THE   ADVENT   MESSAGE — EVENTS   WHOLLY    OF   AN    ECCLE- 
SIASTICAL NATURE — GREAT  LIGHT  FOR  THE  CHURCH. 

Text,  Chapter  x.  1-7. 

1.  And  I  saw  another  mighty  angel  come  down  from  heaven, 
clothed  with  a  cloud  :  and  a  rainbow  was  upon  his  head,  and  his 
face  zvas  as  it  were  the  sun,  and  his  feet  as  pillars  of  fire  : 

2.  And  he  had  in  his  hand  a  little  book  open  :  and  he  set  his 
right  foot  upon  the  sea,  and  /lis  left  /ooi  on  the  earth, 

3.  And  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  as  zi//iefi  a  lion  roareth :  and 
when  he  had  cried,  seven  thunders  uttered  their  voices. 

4.  And  when  the  seven  thunders  had  uttered  their  voices,  I 
was  about  to  write  :  and  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto 
me.  Seal  up  those  things  which  the  seven  thunders  uttered,  and 
write  them  not. 

5.  And  the  angel  that  I  saw  stand  upon  the  sea  and  upon  the 
earth  lifted  up  his  hand  to  heaven, 

6.  And  sware  by  Him  that  liveth  forever  and  ever,  who  created 
heaven,  and  the  things  that  therein  are,  and  the  earth,  and  the 
things  that  theiein  are,  and  the  sea,  and  the  things  which  are 
therein,  that  there  should  be  time  no  longer  : 

7.  But  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,  when  he 
shall  begin  to  sound,  the  mystery  of  God  should  be  finished,  as  He 
hath  declared  to  His  servants  the  prophets. 

WHEN  the  half  hour's  "silence"  announced  at  the 
opening  of  this  seal  ended,  the  seventh  thunder, 
or  seventh  voice  of  the  Church,  at  once  came 
out  loud  and  clear,  as  in  the  other  seals.     It  was  a  positive 
and    forcible    judgment    message — "Behold,    the    Master 

267 


268  divine;  kky  of  the  revei^ation.     [part  iv. 

Cometh!  lo,  the  Judge  is  at  the  door!  Haste  thee,  and  be 
ready  for  the  eternal  judgment!"  This  cry,  as  we  have 
seen  in  considering  the  Philadelphian 
Despise  Not  Church  (pages  164-168),  went  round  the 
the  Day  of  civiUzed  world;  and  has  left  its  impress 
Small  Tiiincs.  ^^pon  the  literature  of  that  day,  and  upon 
the  generation  whose  fathers  and  mothers 
heard  the  solemn  message.  It  is  the  burden  of  this  seal. 
It  will  be  seen  that  its  events  are  wholly  of  an  ecclesiastical 
nature:  nothing  political  or  military  is  seen  or  mentioned. 
The  importance  to  the  world,  at  this  time, — when  "the 
JUDGE  STANDETH  BEFORE  THE  DOOR," — of  a  Concerted 
public  demonstration  of  faith  is  made  to  supersede  any 
political  or  secular  consideration  whatsoever.  It  is  a  de- 
tailed account  of  "the  hour  of  trial"  that  came  "upon  all 
the  world,  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth"  (page 
164).  The  winds  of  war  are  being  held,  we  have  seen, 
by  the  four  agencies  as  commissioned  in  chapter  vii.  1-3, 
for  the  sole  purpose,  it  appears,  of  removing  the  most 
exciting  causes  of  a  national  or  political  character  that 
might  seem  to  furnish  an  excuse  for  neglecting  the  mes- 
sage of  the  "mighty  angel"  of  this  prophecy. 

"And  I  saw  another  mighty  angel  come  down 
from  heaven." — John  had  seen  the  four  military  angels, 
as  we  may  term  them,  restraining  the  war  spirit  over  the 
earth  for  the  time,  the  angel  that  commissioned  them, 
the  seven  trumpet  angels  and  the  angel  of  incense  (of 
chapter  viii.),  but  none  of  them  were  termed  mighty,  as 
in  this  case:  showing  that  God  esteems  Gospel  work  as  of 
greater  importance  to  the  world  than  all  the  boasted  work 
of  the  nations  with  their  trusted  armies  and  navies.  Let 
no  reader  fail  to  mark  the  significance  of  this  description, 
and  the  work  ascribed  to  this  angel.  His  coming  down 
from  a  symbolic  heaven,  must  be  a  symbolic  descent:  he 


CHAP.  XIX.]  THE   MIGHTY   RAINBOW   ANGEI..  269 

came  down  historically  from  the  Philadelphian  experience. 
But  Philadelphia  in  the  diagram  corresponds  with  the 
upper  portion  of  tlie  sixth  seal,  which  is  called  heaven — 
the  sphere  of  the  Church — in  contrast  with  the  lower  por- 
tion, which  represents  earth  or  the  civil  sphere.  He  comes 
down  from  the  Philadelphian  or  sixth  experience  with  a 
seventh  seal  message  to  proclaim  on  "sea"  and  "earth,"  as 
we  will  presently  see. 

"Clothed  with  a  cloud." — A  cloud  in  symbol  de- 
notes the  presence  of  God:  He  descended  to  Sinai  in  a 
"thick  cloud"  (Ex.  xix.  9);  He  called  to  Moses  out  of  a 
cloud  (Ex.  xxiv.  16);  He  "rideth  upon  a  swift  cloud"  (Isa. 
xix.  1);  Pie  "covered  Himself  with  a  cloud"  (Lam.  iii.  44); 
and  a  cloud  filled  the  temple,  at  the  dedication,  when  the 
Lord  took  possession  of  it,  to  dwell  with  Israel  (3  Chron. 
V.  13,  14). 

"And  a  rainbow  was  upon  his  heb,d." — The 
"token  of  the  covenant"  which  God  made  with  Noah  (Gen. 
ix.  12-15)  must  symbolize  the  fulfillment  of  some  cove- 
nant through  this  "mighty  angel."  And  as  we  shall  find 
this  angel  the  chosen  agent  through  whom  the  great 
world's  trial-of-faith  (predicted  in  ch.  iii.  10)  is  to  be 
made,  the  rainbow  evidently  points  to  the  promise  there 
recorded  to  keep  all  those  who  had  "kept  the  Word  of 
(Jesus')  patience,"  during  the  Philadelphian  age,  from 
being  overcome  through  the  trial  which  introduced  and 
developed  the  Laodicean  age. 

"And  his  face  was  as  it  were  the  sun." — As  the 
sun  is  the  symbol  of  the  Gospel,  the  angel's  sun-bright 
face  would  be  representative  of  the  return  of  great  truths 
— truths  as  they  were  taught  by  Jesus  and  the  Apostles, 
but  lost  and  hidden  during  the  ages  of  darkness,  mysti- 
cism, persecution  and  popery.  The  Pergamenians  were 
charged  with  serious   departure  from   original   standards 


270  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.       [parT  IV. 

in  the  reception  of  false  doctrines,  hateful  to  God.  The 
Thyatirians  were  still  more  seriously  accused  of  openly 
receiving  the  teachings  of  Jezebel,  and  when  reproved, 
and  given  space,  refused  to  repent.  Can  anyone  reason- 
ably deny  these  charges  against  the  Church?  that  they 
apply  to  the  so-called  "orthodox"  church  during  the  cen- 
turies pointed  out?  and  to  the  doctrines  specified  in  this 
exposition?  Surely,  then,  there  was  need  in  the  Church 
of  such  a  niigiity  effort  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the 
agency  symbolized,  and  indicated  by  the  descent,  the  cloth- 
ing, the  rainbow  and  the  sunlit  face.  Sardis  was  but  a 
remnant  Church,  at  best,  and  but  "fezv"  of  them  had  "not 
defiled  their  garments,"  we  are  told,  and  the  work  of  this 
angel  was  not  done  in  her  day.  But  when  we  reach  Phila- 
delphia, there  are  indications  of  such  a  work  at  hand.  The 
"open  door"  to  the  Word  of  God,  characteristic  of  this 
period,  made  it  one  of  independent  personal  investigation 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  this  prepared  an  agency  that  could 
be  most  aptly  personated  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  form 
described.  For  the  Spirit  is  the  divine  agency  that  God 
employs,  while  the  form  assumed  personates  the  human 
agency  through  which  the  work  is  visibly  accomplished: 
as  if  the  very  image  of  Christ  were  stamped  upon  a 
people  who  faithfully  proclaim  His  messages. 

A  considerable  number  of  Philadelphian  overcomers, 
called  "wise  virgins,"  whom  Jesus  said  represented  the 
"kingdom  of  Heaven,"  learned  of  the  corruption  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  Bible  by  Romanism  much  further  on  the 
same  and  other  lines  than  Luther  and  the  Eeformers  be- 
fore them  had  done;  namely,  making  God  a  pure  Spirit, 
^'without  body,  parts  or  passions"  I  making  Christ,  (who  is 
the  express  image  of  His  [God's]  person" — 2  Cor.  iv.  4; 
Heb.  i.  3,)  not  to  have  been  "the  seed  of  David  according 
to  the  iiesh,"  (Ro.  i.  4;  Gal.  iv.  4;  1  John  iv.  1-3,  etc.,)  but 


CHAP.  XIX.]  THE   MIGHTY   RAINBOW   ANGEL.  27 1 

to  have  been  "begotten"  without  a  mother!  and  to  have 
lived  ages  before  "his  mother"  who  gave  him  birth  was 
born.  Thus  putting  the  antitype  before  the  "figure"  or 
type  (Ro.  V.  14;  1  Cor.  xv.  46,)  the  "last  man"  before  the 
"first  man,"  and  the  "second  Adam"  before  the  "first 
Adam,"  (1  Cor.  xv.  45-47,)  perverting  the  Scriptures. 
Making  man  immortal  by  nature,  whereas  the  Word 
teaches  that  he  seeks  immortality  through  "patience  con- 
tinuance in  well  doing"  (Rom.  ii.  7) — through  Christ;  and 
obtains  it,  if  at  all,  at  the  resurrection  (1  Cor.  xv.  52-55). 
Making  death,  which  is  the  "wages  of  sin," — the  penalty 
of  the  Edenic  law, — the  "gate  to  glory,"  or  the  separation 
from  the  body  of  a  conscimis,  intelligent  spirit,  instead  of 
the  destruction  of  life  and  consciousness.  Making  Heaven 
the  place  of  the  saint's  reward,  instead  of  the  earth  re- 
newed and  glorified.  Making  immersion,  that  "form  of 
doctrine  which  was  delivered"  to  the  Church,  which 
illustrates  the  hope  of  the  resurrection,  and  gives  the 
"witness"  of  the  tvatcr  (1  John  v.  6,  8)  to  one's  faith  in 
the  death  (the  point  of  agreement  in  the  three  witnesses), 
or  burial  and  resurrection  of  Christ,  answered  by  only 
moistening  the  forehead  with  water,  or  sprinkling  a  few 
drops  upon  the  candidate — a  picturing  of  nothing  in  the 
life  or  death  of  Christ!  etc.,  etc.  They  also  saw  through 
prophecy  that  the  reverses  of  Romanism  since  the  French 
Revolution  were  the  direct  judgments  of  God,  and  con- 
stituted the  leading  sign  that  the  coming  of  the  Lord  was 
near.  It  was  time  that  light  should  come  to  the  Church 
again,  and  that  a  voice  should  be  raised  everywhere — on 
sea  and  land — against  these  corruptions  of  the  truth.  The 
light  did  come,  and  the  voice  rung  out  upon  the  ear  of 
the  world,  at  the  right  time.  And  the  light  increased 
with  them  until  we  find  in  the  Adventist  peoples,  who 
went  out  in  faith  to  meet  the  Bridegroom  as  we  have  seen, 


272  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.       [part  iv. 

an  agency  truthfully  answering  the  personation  we  are 
considering  in  this  angel.  And  this  will  the  more  appear 
as  we  proceed. 

Not  that  this  agency  is  to  be  compared  to  a  celestial 
angel  in  perfection  of  knowledge,  or  wisdom,  more  than 
the  earlier  Eeformers  were.  God  often  uses  very  imper- 
fect instrumentalities,  in  themselves  alone  considered,  to 
accomplish  His  purposes.  And  it  is  only  understood  that 
they  were  used  (mark)  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  the  extent 
of  the  knowledge  they  had  gained  by  its  help,  through 
the  Word — the  "open  book."  The  angel  or  agency  rep- 
resents a  specific  message,  and  the  unfolding  of  great 
truths  to  the  Church.  In  other  words,  it  is  a  representa- 
tion of  the  special  presence  of  Christ -with  His  people,  for 
a  special  work  or  message.  The  reader  will  notice  that 
John  makes  no  mention  of  seeing  this  angel  retire  from 
the  earth  and  sea  after  his  descent.  He  remains  with  the 
Church,  praise  his  name!  the  light  of  his  countenance 
continually  dispelling  the  darkness  of  her  former  super- 
stitions, until  the  z'ery  coming  of  the  "same  Jesus"  whose 
image  he  wears.  Eor  see  on  the  sounding  of  the  seventh 
trumpet  (first  pages  of  the  chapter). 

"And  his  feet  as  pillars  of  fire." — The  symbol  of 
fire  in  the  eyes  and  upon  the  feet  was  treated  on  pages  65 
and  66.  This  angel's  message  clearly  is  one  of  hastening 
judgment.  The  rainbow  on  his  head  is  a  reminder  that 
God  will  never  destroy  the  world  by  ivafer  again;  the  fire 
on  his  feet,  that  he  is  coming  "in  flaming  fire"  (3  Thes. 
i.  7,  8);  and  that  the  world  "is  reserved  unto  fire,  against 
the  day  of  judgment  and  perdition  of  ungodly  men" 
(2  Pet.  iii.  7).  Here  the  fire  is  not  seen  in  the  eyes,  as  in 
the  former  symbol.  That  personated  Jesus,  and  indicated 
that  He,  personally,  was  the  source  of  the  threatened 
judgment,  as  was  also  shown  by  the  Scripture  there  quoted. 


CHAP.  XIX.]  THE  MIGHTY  RAINBOW  ANGEL.  273 

"And  he  had  in  his  hand  a  httle  book  open." — 

This  recalls  the  opening  of  this  seventh  seal — it  was  the 
last  one  upon  the  hook;  and  when  hroken,  left  an  open 
book;  readable,  intelligible,  so  that  it  could  be  compre- 
hended throughout,  by  the  faithful  and  trustful  reader, 
in  proportion  to  the  faith  exercised  in,  and  the  study  be- 
stowed upon  it.  Thank  God  for  an  open  Bible  in  the 
hands  of  consecrated  people  and  all  lovers  of  "His  appear- 
ing"! 

"And  he  set  his  right  foot  upon  the  sea,  and 
his  left  foot  on  the  earth." — He  has  a  universal  proc- 
lamation— an  important  message  to  all  peoples.  Some 
history  of  the  rise  and  development  of  this  agency  was 
given  in  connection  with  the  Philadelphia  Church.  For  in 
coming  down  "from  heaven" — the  upper  plain  of  the  sixth 
seal,  as  we  said — to  the  "sea"  and  "earth"  of  the  seventh,  he 
comes  down  historically  from  a  former  experience  with  the 
Holy  Spirit,  through  which  he  is  crotvncd  with  the  rain- 
bow of  promise;  clothed  with  the  power  and  presence  of 
God;  and  given  the  little  open  book:  his  face  is  lighted  up 
like  the  sun,  from  the  reflection  of  its  pages  of  light;  his 
feet  are  glowing  with  all  the  fire  of  his  being  to  speed  the 
news  of  joy,  yet  of  judgment,  at  the  door!  Suddenly  his 
feet,  with  burning  zeal,  with  awe-inspiring,  warning  aspect, 
are  set  on  sea  and  land:  he  breaks  the  ominous  "silence  in 
heaven"  from  whence  he  descends, — 

"And  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  as  when  a  lion 
roareth." — Before  the  earthquake's  shock  there  is  a  still- 
ness in  the  atmospheric  heavens  as  if  nature  was  in  awe 
and  suspense  under  a  presentiment  of  evil.  So  it  was  at 
the  descent  of  this  angel:  throughout  the  sixth  period,  the 
conviction  had  been  gaining  strength  among  the  watching 
virgins  of  the  parable,  that  the  coming  of  the  Lord  was 
near.     To  those  who  observed  the  signs  as  given  in  the 


274  divine;  key  of  the  revei^ation.     [part  iv. 

34th  of  Matthew,  and  the  rapidly  declining  power  of 
the  papacy,  there  was,  of  course,  no  lack  of  evidence  of 
the  nearing  event. 

They  had  not  learned  that  to  be  prophetically  ''near" 

or  "at  hand,"  means  comparatively  so. 
Prophetic  Near-  jj^  their  prophctic  inexperience  they  were 
ness  is  Com-  ijj^g  ^^ie  impatient  child  journeying  3,000 
parative  Time,   -^yeary  milcs  across  the  continent,  having 

no  experience,  and  therefore  no  judgment, 
concerning  comparative  distance  or  time.  Fifty  times  a 
day  he  asks,  "Aren't  we  almost  there?"  In  the  morning 
of  the  last  day  of  the  ride  the  parent  cheers  him,  to  keep 
up  his  interest  and  courage,  with  the  news  that  "It  is 
not  far  now;  we'll  soon  be  there."  That  is  true  to  the 
parent,  but  not  in  harmony  with  the  feelings  of  the  child. 
He  expects  to  be  there  in  an  hour,  at  least  long  before 
dinner-time.  And  after  dinner  he  impatiently  chides  his 
parent  inquisitively:  "Papa,  you  said  it  wasn't  far;  and 
that  we's  'most  there,  and  we've  rode  'most  all  day!" 
"Well,  child,  we'll  be  there  right  soon  now;  it's  only  a 
very  little  distance  farther — just  a  few  miles;  we're  due  at 
sundown."  But  to  the  child,  the  sun  is  days  in  going 
down;  and  never  went  so  slow  before. 

The  "parable  of  the  ten  virgins,"  the  "watches,"  the 

"hour  of  temptation"  or  trial,  were  given 
Watching:  cxprcssly  to  develop  patience  and  faith: 

Desig^ned  to        faith  pleases  God;  and  "patience  worketh 
Test  Faith.         experience,  and  experience,  hope."     The 

whole  history  of  the  Church  has  proved 
that  the  same  plan  has  been  followed  with  each  generation 
— varying  in  detail.  ISToah  waited  130  years,  vexed  with 
the  unbelief  of  his  generation.  Abraham  and  Sarah  waited 
thirty  years  for  Isaac,  the  child  of  promise,  vexing  their 
souls  with  the  Hagar  and  Isbmsel  affair.     Israel  waited 


CHAP.  XIX.]  THE   MIGHTY   RAINBOW   ANGEL  275 

long  for  Canaan,  and  were  afterward  in  no  less  perplexity 
over  the  long  delay  of  the  "Desire"  of  Israel  and  "of  all 
nations."  So  were  these  prophetic  virgins  developing  ex- 
perience, faith  and  hope,  concerning  the  return  of  Christ. 
But  there  was  also,  on  the  part  of  others,  a  growing  itn- 
faith  and  opposition  to  the  preaching  of  the  advent  at 
hand.     For  even  in  Philadelphia,  that  had  heen  so  zealous 

for  "the  Word,"  there  were  many  who. 
Traditional  from  loug  traditional  schooling,  and  famil- 
switch-off.  iarity  with  prevalent  Eomanist  theories, 

failed  to  distinguish  between  tradition 
and  the  Word,  as  the  "overcomers"  were  careful  to  do. 
They  were  loth  to  yield  the  comforting  notions,  received 
in  babyhood,  that,  "Heaven's  my  home;"  and  of  death, 
"'Tis  but  the  voice  which  Jesus  sends  to  call  us  to  His 
arms."  They  loved  to  think — "Our  friends  are  passing 
over,  and  just  before  the  shining  shore  we  may  almost 
discover."  They  were  so  oblivious  to  the  plainest  state- 
ments of  the  Word  concerning  the  penalty  for  sin,  dating 
back  to  Eden,  and  to  natural  dread  of  death — even  of  the 
Saviour,  in  the  face  of  that  great  "enemy"  of  man — that 
they  could  sing  with  devout  paganish  complacence,  "Then 
persevere  till  death  shall  bring  thee  to  thy  God;  He'll  take 
thee  at  thy  parting  breath  to  His  divine  abode."  And, 
"on  joyful  wing,  cleaving  the  sky,  sun,  moon,  and  stars, 
forgot,  [!]  upward  I  fly."  No  such  Platonism  and  folly 
could  have  inspired  the  Apostle  Paul's  love  for  "His  ap- 
pearing," and  trust  for  his  "laid-up"  crown  "at  that  day," 
namely,  of  the  Advent  (not  of  death — 2  Tim.  iv.  8);  nor 
could  have  actuated  the  Apostle  to  "look  for  Him,"  when 
"He  shall  appear  the  second  time" — i.  e.,  on  earth — "unto 
salvation"  (Pleb.  ix.  28);  nor  could  have  inspired  David, 
who  said,  "As  for  me,  *  *  *  I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I 
awake  with  Thy  likeness"  (Psa.  xvii.  15);  nor  Job  in  his 


276  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI<ATION.       [part  iv. 

common-sense  statement,  chapter  xiv.  10-15,  which  see. 
But  with  those  improtesting  Protestants,  it  was  the  gospel 
of  Addison:  "It  must  be  so — Plato,  thou  reasonest  well"! 
instead  of  the  Gospel  of  Paul  and  the  apostles  and  proph- 
ets, who  wrote  at  least  reasonably,  and  predicted  rightly, 
even  as  the  Holy  Spirit  moved  them.  Therefore  as  the 
opposition  developed,  and  the  supposed  coming  with  its 
trial  drew  nearer,  zeal  increased  until  faith  in  the  Advent, 
definitely  in  1843,  was  of  so  great  proportions,  and  of 
such  a  positive  nature  that,  when  the  seal  was  removed 
(in  the  Lord's  nick  of  time),  tlie  virgins  were  fairly  awed 
to  "silence"  by  their  own  position  and  at  the  next  step 

to  be  taken:  it  was  to  organize  themselves 
Tiie  Angrei's  — ^]-^g  u^^^  virgius,"  wc  now  Understand — 
Descent  f^j.  ^  world-wide  missionary  campaign,  in 

Symbolizes  an  ^]^g  f^^g  ^f  ^^^  Unbelief— not  counting  it 
oreranized  ^  sacrifice  in  many  instances  to  sell  houses 

Movement.  j^j^^j  lands,  stocks  and  personal  effects,  to 

leave  business  and  pleasure,  friends  and 
families,  to  warn  the  Church  and  the  world  in  spite  of  all 
things,  of  judgment,  resurrection  and  the  translation  of 
the  saints,  at  the  end  of  the  2,300  days;  namely,  in  1843. 
The  first  prophetic  convention  was  held  in  the  city  of 
Boston,  October,  1840,  where  the  organization  was  formed, 
and  the  work  was  systematically  and  zealously  begun.  That 
was  the  more  immediate  or  visible  coming  down  of  the 
angel  to  liaodicea.  The  historic  extracts  mentioned  above 
(see  page  164)  tell  how  thoroughly  he  compassed  sea  and 
land  with  the  evidences  that  compelled  his  action.  Their 
attitude  was  a  bold  one;  and  "verily,  their  sound  went  into 
all  the  earth,  and  their  words  unto  the  ends  of  the  [civil- 
ized] world." 

"And  when  he  had  cried,  seven  thunders  ut- 
tered their  voices." — Thunders  represent  a  purifying 


CHAP.  XIX.]  THB  MIGHTY  RAINBOW  ANGEL.  277 

change  as  taking  place.  Said  the  Psalmist,  "His  light- 
nings enlightened  the  world"  (Psa.  xcvii.  4;  Ixxvii.  18); 
that  is,  the  Holy  Spirit  enlightens  some  human  agency, 
and  the  voice  of  the  agency  is  the  thunder  announcing 
the  light  to  the  world.  John  heard  the  voice  of  thunder, 
the  first  living  creature  saying,  "Come  and  see,"  at  the 
opening  of  the  first  seal.  There  were  literal  thunders  on 
Mount  Sinai  at  the  change  from  slavery  in  Egypt  to  the 
better  bondage  of  the  law  under  Moses.  These  thunders 
were  to  cause  the  people  to  "hear  and  believe  Moses" — to 
impress  them  Avith  the  fact  that  God  was  speaking  in  the 
message.  So  the  symbolic  thunders  here  are  doubtless 
for  effect,  as  an  emphasis — an  exclamation  point — at  the 
close  of  a  remarkable  series  of  events — the  last  seal  being 
broken.  Each  seal  was  opened  with  a  thunder,  a  voice, 
an  earthquake  or  a  cry.  This  last  was  first  delayed,  and 
now,  when  so  stoutly  given,  there  is  a  grand  cloud-salute; 
an  answering  chorus  from  the  perfect  chime  of  bells  in  the 
great  prophetic  tower!  Strange  that  all  are  not  inspired 
with  these  Heaven-devised  transactions. 

And  when  the  seven  thunders  had  uttered  their  voices, 
John  "was  about  to  write;"  but  said  he,  "I  heard  a  voice 
from  Heaven  saying  unto  me, — 

"  Seal  up  those  things  which  the  seven  thun- 
ders uttered,  and  write  them  not." — John  seems  self- 
prompted  here  to  explain  matters  that  should  remain  for 
the  regular  removal  of  the  seals  by  the  Lamb;  for  that  is 
the  sense  of  "write"  as  opposed  to  "seal  up."  The  com- 
mand clearly  shows  that  these  utterances  were  not  intended 
for  the  general  revelation,  which  he  zvas  to  write;  but 
doubtless  only  to  assist  him  in  his  writing,  or  in  his  oral 
teaching,  and  in  establishing  the  Eevelation  among  the 
early  churches  of  his  ministry.  It  was  so  with  the  Gifts 
of  the  Spirit — of  healing  (not  referring  to  healings  through 


278  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEl,ATlON.       [pARf  TV. 

faith  and  prayer),  power  to  raise  the  dead,  to  speak  in  un- 
known tongues,  and  other  remarkable  powers  conferred 
upon  the  Apostles  for  the  confirmation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  the  establishment  of  the  Gospel  Church:  they 
were  special,  not  intended  for  the  succeeding  centuries; 
and  they  have  not  come  down  to  us. 

"And  the  angel  *  *  lifted  up  his  hand  to 
heaven,  and  swear  by  Him  that  liveth  for  ever 
and  ever." — This  is  the  most  solemn  attitude  that  could 
be  assumed,  and  the  strongest  asseveration  that  could  be 
made,  that  the  statements  of  the  parties  represented  by 
this  angel  are  genuine  and  true,  to  the  best  of  their 
knowledge  and  understanding,  and  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance to  be  investigated  and  understood  by  all  peoples. 
The  military  and  other  secular  events  of  prophetic  revela- 
tion have  required  no  such  solemnities,  beyond  angelic 
statement,  in  either  Daniel  or  Revelation,  except  in  this 
matter  of  informing  the  Church,  and  warning  the  world, 
concerning  the  expectation  and  the  event  of  the  coming 
of  our  Lord.  Why?  Why  was  the  fruit  of  the  forbidden 
tree  in  Eden  more  tempting  and  '"'desirable'^  to  Mother 
Eve  than  that  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  of  all  the  permitted 
trees  of  the  garden?  Simply  because  it  poised  her  little 
zvill  against  the  will  of  God.  She  could  neither  make  a 
molehill,  nor  unmake  a  mountain,  but,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  she  could  shake  her  little  broom  in  the  face  of  the 
Almighty,  and  say,  I  will  and  I  zvonH,  concerning  the 
every-day  affairs  of  life.  And  the  world  of  her  children 
have  wept  an  ocean  of  tears,  notwithstanding  her  ex- 
perience, for  indulging  the  same  defiant,  willful  spirit. 
God  has  left  nothing  undone  to  show  us  that  He  would 
have  us  think  less  of  political  and  secular  matters,  and 
more  of  prophetic  and  religious  things,  specially  those 
of   this   last   seal.     But   the    "people"    just   ivon^t — "the 


Chap.   XIX.]  ThB  MtGHTY   feAlNBOW   ANGKL.  279 

Church"  and  the  world  are  very  much  alike  in  this.  They 
are  wiser  than  Solomon  in  all  questions  of  science,  art, 
civil  government,  political  economy,  moral  and  mental 
philosophy,  physics  and  metaphysics,  but  they  cannot  un- 
derstand, that  is  to  say,  they  will  not  interest  themselves, 
in  prophecy.  And  if  our  doctors  do  attempt  it,  it  is 
usually  not  simple,  plain  prophecy  they  wrestle  with,  but 
'way  up  there,  over  the  heads  of  the  people — in  the  fif- 
teenth or  twentieth  story — in  the  learned  department  of 
Eschatology  or  Hermcncutics.  Oh,  that  the  Drs.  Zaccheus 
would  come  down,  that  Jesus  might  dine  with  them!  and 
His  people  be  fed.     But  what  did  the  angel  affirm? 

"That  there  should  be  time  no  longer." — "  That 
the  time  shall  be  no  longer  [delayed],"  as  suggested  by 
Doddridge,  Gill,  Emphatic  Diaglott,  etc.  The  sense  does 
not  seem  to  be  changed.  The  time  is  at  hand  for  finishing 
up  the  revelation  now — and  for  the  last  demonstration, 
even  the  "coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven."  In  the  third 
verse  of  chapter  i.,  the  time  was  at  hand  for  the  beginning 
of  the  Eevelation;  now  for  its  ending,  in  the  same  sense. 

That  the  definite  time  proclamation  of  this  mighty 
angel  was  fulfilled  in  the  Adventist  movement  of  1840-43, 
inaugurated  by  William  Miller  and  his  co-laborers,  I  quote 
from  a  prominent  pioneer  of  the  faith  and  an  able  writer 
of  the  time,  Josiah  Litch,  before  quoted.  He  was  writing, 
in  the  fall  of  1842,  under  the  heading  "The  Third  Woe 
OR  Seventh  Trumpet,"  and  gives  a  clear  view  of  the 
position  they  held.     He  says: — 

"The  second  woe  ended  with  the  fall  of  Ottoman  suprem- 
acy   in    1840.      At   that    period    the    Word    of 
Josiah  Litcii  on  Qod  had  gained  its  ascendancy  in  the  world, 
the  Early  ^nd  is  now  high  in  the  moral  heaven,  flying  as 

Adventist  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  borne  by  a  mighty 

Movement.  angel  through  the  midst  of  heaven:  and  the 

enemies  of  the  Bible  see  the  triumph  of  the 


28o  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.       [pART  IV. 

cause;  and  great  fear  falls  on  the  infidel  world.  .  .  .  Having 
passed  through  six  of  the  trumpets,  and  the  darkness,  death,  res- 
urrection, and  triumph  of  the  witnesses,  we  stand  at  the  present 
time  on  the  verge  of  the  great  crisis  when  the  seventh  trump 
must  sound.  That  trump  is  a  woe  to  the  world,  and  a  blessing 
to  the  saints  of  God.  It  introduces  the  time,  not  when  the 
world  will  be  converted,  and  the  spiritual  reign  of  Christ  be 
introduced,  but  the  time  when  the  dead  shall  be  judged,  all 
God's  servants  rewarded,  and  the  destroyers  of  the  earth  de- 
stroyed. [Citing  here:  Rev.  xi.  15-18.]  Is  there  any  millen- 
nium and  return  of  the  Jews  here  predicted,  as  the  world  has 
been  taught  to  expect?  There  is  no  place  found  for  it!  But 
eternity  cometh  quickly. 

"More  than  two  years  have  now  elapsed  since  the  second  woe 
passed  away,  and  the  voice  from  heaven,  by  the  mouth  of 
Christ's  witness  proclaimed,  'the  third  woe  cometh  quickly.' 
That  period  of  delay  must  soon  expire,  and  the  seventh  angel 
sound!  Then  he  that  is  filthy  will  be  filthy  still!  And  he  that 
is  holy  shall  be  holy  still!  There  will  be  no  more  change  in  the 
moral  characters  of  men.  That  trump  will  come  with  awful 
suddenness  on  the  world.  It  will  be  a  twinkling  of  an  eye, 
and  all  will  be  over!  The  want  of  instant  preparation  and 
watchfulness  will  be  an  awful  calamity  when  that  day  arrives  .  .  . 

"On  the  point  of  setting  the  day  and  the  hour — I  wish  here  to 
enter  my  most  solemn^  disclaimer  against  setting  any  definite 
time  for  the  second  advent  of  the  Saviour;  whether  it  be 
February,  March,  April,  May,  or  June,  or  any  other  month  in 
the  year;  I  have  no  judgment  on  that  point.  There  are  several 
points  in  history  and  chronology,  the  anniversary  of  any  one 
of  which  may  be  the  time;  which  it  will  be,  I  am  utterly  unable 
to  decide.  I  believe  it  will  come  in  1843,  but  for  'the  day  and 
hour,'  I  believe,  we  must  watch.  If  others  think  they  have  dis- 
covered the  day  or  hour,  and  preach  it,  let  the  responsibility 
be  on  them.  I  enter  the  same  disclaimer  also  in  behalf  of  my 
esteemed  brethren  and  fellow-laborers.  Miller,  Himes,  Fitch, 
and  Hale.  I  do  it  because  I  know  their  sentiments  to  be  the 
same  as  above  expressed.  There  are  others  also  of  the  same 
opinion.  That  it  will  come  the  third  or  twenty-third  of  April, 
we  have  not  either  of  us  affirmed.  We  have  stated  the  fact  that 
Ferguson,  in   his  astronomical  calculations,   has  given   us,  viz., 


CHAP.  XIX.]  THK  MIGHTY  RAINBOW  ANGBL.  28 1 

that  Christ  was  crucified  on  the  third  of  April.  We  have  a 
right  to  that  fact,  and  so  has  the  world,  and  they  must  make 
what  use  of  it  they  think  proper.  But  whether  the  'seventy 
weeks'  ended  precisely  with  the  death  of  Christ,  or  at  some 
other  point,  is  what  I  am  unable  to  determine.  That  it  ended 
not  many  months  from  that,  is  clear  and  satisfactory." — Prophetic 
Expositions,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  223-5. 

On  page  244,  Mr.  Liteh  replies  to  a  charge  of  censori- 
ousness,  and  a  hard  spirit,  as  follows: — 

"Nay,  nay,  my  brother,  my  sister!  you  wrong  me.  If  you 
saw,  or  thought  you  saw,  your  neighbor's 
The  Old  Chargre  house  on  fire,  I  ask,  would  you  not  think  it 
of  Censorious-  your  duty  to  arouse  them  and  tell  them  the 
nesM  Refuted,  worst  you  feared?  Would  you  let  them  sleep 
on,  lest,  by  trying  to  awake,  you  should  offend 
them  by  your  earnestness  and  importunity?  I  believe  the  Lord 
Jesus  requires  of  all  His  ministers  and  people  to  look  into  this 
subject  and  look  out  for  His  coming.  I  do  not  believe  it  can  be 
neglected  with  impunity;  and  hence  I  must  cry  aloud  to  my 
fellow-travelers.  I  should  be  guilty  if  I  did  not  tell  them  all  I 
fear  will  5,ome  upon  them.  Let  them  show  me  that  my  fears 
are  ungrounded,  and  I  will  desist  from  my  importunities.  I 
cannot  until  then." 

That  was  exactly  the  spirit  and  plea  of  Paul  before 
Felix,  and  of  Luther  before  Charles  V.  and  the  Diet  at 
Worms.  Was  there  fanaticism  in  that?  Surely,  these 
men  had  the  calm,  resolute  spirit  of  the  symbol.  They 
"cried  with  a  loud  voice,"  and  the  whole  civilized  world 
heard  the  message,  not  only  through  the  secular  press, 
(sometimes  mockingly)  but,  as  we  have  shown,  through 
their  own  publications,  like  the  Expositions  quoted  above. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CONTINUATION  OF  THE  SEVENTH  SEAI^THE 
LITTLE  OPEN  BOOK. 

THE  advp:nt  movement,  the  bitter  experience,  and 

THE  PROPHESYING  AGAIN. 

Text,  Chapter  x.  7-11. 

7.  But  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,  when 
he  shall  begin  to  sound,  the  mystery  of  God  shall  be  finished, 
as  He  hath  declared  to  His  servants  the  prophets. 

8.  And  the  voice  which  I  heard  from  heaven  spake  unto  me 
again,  and  said,  Go  and  take  the  little  book  which  is  open  in 
the  hand  of  the  angel  that  standeth  upon  the  sea  and  upon 
the  earth. 

9.  And  I  went  unto  the  angel,  and  said  unto  him.  Give  me 
the  little  book.  And  he  said  unto  me,  Take  it,  and  .eat  it  up; 
and  it  shall  make  thy  belly  bitter,  but  it  shall  be  in  thy  mouth 
sweet  as  honey.' 

10.  And  I  took  the  little  book  out  of  the  angel's  hand, 
and  ate  it  up;  and  it  was  in  my  mouth  sweet  as  honey;  and  as 
soon  as  I  had  eaten  it,  my  belly  was  bitter. 

11.  And  he  said  unto  me,  Thou  must  prophesy  again  before 
many  peoples,  and  nations,  and  tongues,  and  kings. 

WITH  the  opening  words  of  this  passage  we  are 
abk^  to  locate  the  seventh  trumpet  in  its  relation 
to  the  seventli  seal.     For  the  effect  of  the  great 
proclamation   of  this  seal  is  to   take   place   under  that 
trumpet.     Notice  it  particularly: — 

"But  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh 
angel,  when  he  shall  begin  to  sound." — This  shows 
that  six  of  the  trumpets  had  already  sounded  when  this 

282 


CHAP.  XX.]  THE  LITTLE  OPEN  BOOK.  283 

angel,  who  is  speaking,  namely,  the  "mighty"  rainbow 
angel,  begins  his  work;  and,  therefore,  that  the  last  trum- 
pet and  last  seal  (which  we  are  now  considering)  nearly 
harmonize,  chronologically,  for  the  seal  is  already  opened 
and  the  trumpet  is  about  to  begin  to  sound.  It  has  been 
contended  by  some  that  what  is  to  transpire  now  is  before 
the  sounding,  and  when  it  is  "about  to  sound;"  Doddridge, 
Woodhouse,  and  even  Mr.  Wilson,  of  the  Emphatic  Dia- 
glott,  fall  into  this  error.  But  clearly  it  is  "in  the  days  of 
the  voice"  of  the  trumpet,  therefore  after  beginning  to 
sound;  and  demanding  the  rendering  we  have,  "When  he 
shall  begin,"  etc. 

"  The  mystery  of  God  shall  be  finished,  as  He 
hath  declared  to  His  servants,  the  prophets." — 
This  mystery  must  relate  to  that  which  had  been  so  long 
under  seal.  When  Daniel,  one  of  those  "prophets,"  was 
commanded  to  seal  the  book,  he  had  just  given  the  three 
great  prophetic  periods,  in  their  relationship — the  1,260 
years,  the  1,290  years,  and  1,335  years,  which  he  said  the 
"wise"  (virgins)  should,  but  the  wicked  (including  the 
foolish  virgins)  should  not  understand.  The  wisdom  re- 
ferred to  is  that  of  faithfulness  to  the  study  of  the  Word, 
or  as  Jesus  termed  it,  of  keeping  "the  Word"  of  His 
"patience."  Every  seal  is  now  off,  the  last  trumpet  is 
about  to  sound,  therefore  every  key  to  the  unraveling  of 
that  which  was  sealed  from  the  understanding  even  of 
the  wise  and  studious,  is  now  to  be  put  at  their  command. 
But  it  must  not  be  thought  that  the  keys  will  unlock  the 
matter  to  tlieir  comprehension  without  their  personal  ap- 
plication of  the  same.  Will  they,  will  they  even  now, 
"come  and  see"?  Will  they  now  "hear  what  the  Spirit 
saith  unto  the  churches"?  Notice  what  follows,  calling 
for  individual  effort:  And  the  voice  which  I  heard  from 
heaven  spake  unto  me  again,  and  said, — 


284  t)lVlN:e  KEY  OF  fHE  REVE1.ATION.      [paRT  rv. 

"  Go  and  take  the  little  book  WHICH  IS  OPEN 
in  the  hand  of  the  angel,  that  standeth  upon  the 
sea  and  upon  the  earth." — There  is  absolutely  nothing 
of  this  whole  matter  in  reserve  now.  The  opened  book  is 
freely  offered  to  John  for  his  personal  use.  John  rep- 
resents the  whole  Church,  as  he  has  all  the  way  through. 
The  angel,  who  is  already  possessed  of  the  book,  represents 
the  few  "wise  virgins"  of  the  parable — those  who  were 
overcomers  in  Philadelphia,  as  before  said — who  by  their 
faithful  watching  received  the  book  in  advance.  How  so? 
Think:  Jesus  promised  that  the  Holy  Spirit  should  take 
the  contents  of  this  book  "and  show  it  unto"  "His 
servants" — see  the  proof  on  pages  24,  25.  "His  servants" 
are  not  the  whole  body  of  the  apparent  Church.  Hear 
the  Saviour,  Himself: — 

"Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  Me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  My 
Father  who  is  in  heaven.  Matiy  will  say  to  Me  in  that  day, 
Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  Thy  name?  and  in  Thy 
name  have  cast  out  demons?  and  in  Thy  name  done  many 
wonderful  works? 

"And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you: 
depart  from  me  ye  workers  of  iniquity.  Therefore  whosoever 
heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them,  I  will  liken  him 
unto  a  ioise  man,  who  built  his  house  upon  a  rock.  .  .  .  And 
every  one  that  heareth  these  words  of  Mine,  and  doeth  them 
not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  who  built  his  house 
upon  the  sand,"  etc.  (Matt.  vii.  21-26.) 

It  requires  both  these  classes  to  represent  "the  kingdom 
of  heaven,"  the  Lord  said  (Matt.  xxv.  1,  2).  Again,  in 
Luke  vi.  46,  He  said,  "Why  call  ye  Me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do 
not  the  things  which  I  say?"  It  is  therefore  plain  to  be 
seen  how  the  class  that  is  represented  by  the  angel  came 
in  possession  of  the  book — why  his  face  was  so  bright; 
why  the  rainbow  of  promise  was  about  his  head;  and 
why  he  had  such  zeal  in  his  work:  he  had  studied  the  pro- 


CHAP.  XX.]  THE  LITTI.E  OPEN  BOOK.  285 

phetic  Word  at  command,  with  faith  in,  and  out  of  respect 
to,  its  Author;  and  the  Holy  Spirit  had  done  the  rest, 
showing  him  ''things  which  must  shortly*  come  to  pass" 
by  opening  the  Look  of  prophecy  to  his  understanding. 

"And  I  went  unto  the  angel  and  said  unto 
him,  Give  me  the  httle  book." — Not  the  whole  Bible, 
let  it  be  observed:  that,  with  this  exception,  had  already 
been  restored  to  the  Church,  and  had  developed  the  rain- 
bow agency;  but  the  sealed  portion  is  now  wide  open,  by 
the  breaking  of  the  last  seal,  and  John  is  told  to  take  it. 
The  '"temptation"  or  trial  that  was  arranged  to  try  the 
whole  world  is  now  to  be  experienced.  The  Church  are  to 
act  upon  the  proclamation  of  this  symbolic  angel,  that  the 
mystery  of  God  will  be  finished  when  the  seventh  trumpet 
begins  to  sound;  and  tbat  would  be,  he  said, — he,  the  only 
agency  noticed  in  modern  history  that  has  given  the  world 
any  such  message,  said  it  would  sound — -in  18-i3. 

"And  he  said  unto  me,  Take  it,  and  eat  it  up." 
— To  eat  is  to  masticate  and  swallow  our  food.  To  eat 
a  book  is  a  figure  for  revolving  its  statements  in  the  mind, 
and  incorporating  them  into  the  understanding.  This, 
this  faithful,  zealous  messenger  did  most  thoroughly;  and 
he  did  understand  very  much  that  the  "foolish  virgins" 
did  not,  as  was  2)romised  the  "wise,"  notwithstanding  the 
great  mistake  and  the  passing  of  the  time.  They  had  not 
quite  comprehended  what  was  next  told  the  angel,  how- 
ever, and  that  is  the  explanation: — 

"And  it  shall  make  thy  belly  bitter,  but  it 
shall  be  in  thy  mouth  sweet  as  honey." — The  con- 
templation of  the  subject  of  the  book — the  coming  of  the 
Lord — would  be  very  delightful  to  the  mind  of  the  Church; 
but  the  experience  connected  with  the  expectation — the 
tarrying  of  the  Bridegroom — would  be  a  bitter  disappoint- 
ment to  them.     The  predicted  bitterness  came  through  a 


286  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.       [part  iv. 

misapprehension  which  they  were  allowed 
The  "Time  of  ^q  q^q^  npon,  by  Way  of  the  great  test  or 
the  End,"  Not  •  ^rial  of  faith.  When  John  was  ''about  to 
the  End  of  write/'  impulsively^  without  a  thorough 

'*'*"**•  digestion   of  the   matter  spoken  by  the 

chorus  of  thunders,  he,  too,  would  doubtless  have  ex- 
plained the  seventh  seal  as  introducing,  not  the  "time  of 
the  end" — the  true  limit  of  the  seal  (Dan.  xii.  9) — but  the 
end  itself;  the  preliminary  symbolic  descent  of  the  rain- 
bow angel,  not  as  personating  Christ  in  His  people  pro- 
claiming the  Advent  near,  but  as  representing  Christ  per- 
sonally in  His  actual  return;  and  the  finishing  of  "the 
mystery  of  God,"  i.  e.,  the  seal  of  the  prophecy,  said  to  be 
due  when  the  seventh  angel  should  ''begin  to  sound,"  not 
as  the  end  of  the  seal-mystery  of  Daniel's  vision,  which  was 
due  then,  but  as  the  grand  culmination  or  consummation 
of  all  prophecy  due  at  the  end  of  the  trumpet's  sound. 
These  mistakes  appear  unnecessary  as  we  look  back  at 
them,  now.  A  more  thorough  digestion  of  what  the  little 
book  contained  would  have  shown  that  all  the  trumpets 
required  considerable  periods  of  time  for  their  soundings: 
the  fifth,  150  years;  the  sixth,  just  preceding,  391  years; 
and  that  the  coming  of  Christ  could  not  be  expected  at  the 
beginning,  but  as  the  last  event  of  the  last  trumpet.  And 
yet,  through  this  same  misapprehension,  there  are  many 
to  this  day,  who  think  the  seventh  trumpet  has  not  even 
yet  sounded,  nor  the  seventh  seal  been  broken,  "else,"  they 
say,  "Jesus  would  h-ave  appeared." 

The  history  of  the  Church  during  the  last  half  of  the 
Philadelphian  period  and  the  first  years  of  the  Laodicean 
period  furnished,  as  we  have  already  shown  in  the  exposi- 
tion of  the  former  Church,  just  such  a  premature,  world- 
wide expectancy,  trial,  tarrying,  and  bitterness  of  disap- 
pointment.     It   was    a   movement   so    spontaneous    and 


CHAP.  XX.]  the;  UTTI.E  OPEN  BOOK.  287 

genuine,  so  candid  and  intelligent,  and  withal  so  unique 
and  powerful  that,  without  the  same  divine  influence  and 
incentive,  it  could  never  be  reproduced  in  human  ex- 
perience. But  no  people,  I  suppose,  since  the  days  of  the 
apostles,  were  any  worse  misrepresented  and  falsified  than 
those  who  proclaimed  the  coming  of  the  Lord  at  hand, 
basing  their  hopes  wholly  on  the  words  of  Christ  and  the 
apostles  and  prophets.  It  is  not  denied  that  there  were 
fanatics  and  fanaticisms  connecting  themselves  with  the 
genuine  movement,  like  barnacles  to  a  ship — impossible 
to  prevent,  hard  to  remove,  and  exceedingly  detrimental 
to  the  progress  of  the  vessel.  Every  good  movement  ever 
inaugurated  has  suffered  more  or  less  in  the  same  way. 
The  writer  could  cite  facts  and  personal  experiences  if 
space  permitted.  The  interested  reader  may  consult  the 
^'History  of  the  Advent  Message,"  by  I.  C.  Welcome. 

The  thoughtful  reader  will  have  noticed  that  no  word 
of  censure  was  spoken  by  the  Lord  to  the 
The  Mistake  virgius  of  the  parable,  who  prematurely 
Pardonable.  expccted  the  Bridcgroom.  They  were  com- 
mended as  wise  for  having  oil  in  their 
vessels,  and  for  being  ready  by  constant  watchfulness  to 
enter  without  delay  when  He  did  suddenly  appear.  It  is 
so  here:  there  is  no  criticism,  even,  upon  the  loudness, 
boldness,  or  positiveness  of  the  angel's  voice,  nor  the  def- 
initiveness  of  his  message;  not  one  word — where  the  Lao- 
dicean spirit  in  the  Church  has  been  so  full  of  censure.  On 
the  contrary,  John,  as  representing  the  Church,  is  com- 
manded to  continue  the  same  work,  and  furnished  every 
facility  for  doing  so.  For  notice:  "And  he  said  unto  me," 
he  next  declares, — 

"  Thou  must  PROPHESY  AGAIN  before  many 
peoples,  and  nations,  and  tongues,  and  kings." — 
The  world-wide  extent  of  his  proclamation  is  thus  indi- 


288  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.       [parT  IV. 

cated.  History  furnishes  no  other  example,  in  modern 
times,  of  a  message  concerning  Jesus'  personal  return, 
that  could  possibly  be  taken  for  a  fulfillment  of  this 
prophecy,  or  that  at  all  approaches  its  requirements,  than 
that  which  has  been  cited  concerning  it  in  Philadelphian 
history.  If  it  has  been  unpopular  and  despised  by  the 
world  and  a  worldly  Church,  "as  a  day  of  small  things," 
so  was  the  great  Gospel  work  and  message  under  the  Son 
of  God  Himself,  and  His  own  chosen  representatives.  It 
matters  not  whether  priests,  and  scribes,  and  authors,  and 
writers  of  encyclopaedias  have  spoken  well  or  ill  of  it,  the 
pertinent  question  is.  Do  the  Scriptures  predict  such  an 
expectation  and  disappointment?  For  all  writers  confess 
that  there  were  50,000  adherents  in  the  movement  in  the 
United  States  during  what  was  termed  the  "Millerism" 
excitement.  The  "virgins"  have  "slumbered  and  slept" 
so  far  as  definite  expectation  is  concerned;  but,  for  fifty 
years,  has  the  expectation  ceased?  have  the  waiting  virgins 
been  out  of  sight?  And  is  not  the  proclamation  revived 
again,  and  sounding  to  the  ends  of  civilized  life,  "Behold 
the  Bridegroom  com^eth;  go  ye  out  to  meet  Him"? 

There  is  another  place,  besides  our  text  and  Matt. 
XXV.,  that  speaks  of  tarrying  and  prophesying  again;  and 
in  the  mouth  of  tAvo  or  three  witnesses  every  word  should 
be  established.  Habakkuk  ii.  2,  3  :  "And  the  Lord 
answered  me,  and  said,  Write  the  vision,  and  make  it  plain 
upon  tables,  that  he  may  run  that  readeth  it:  for  the  vision 
is  yet  for  an  appointed  time  [to  be  unsealed];  but  at  the 
[appointed]  etid  it  shall  speak  and  not  lie;  though  it  tarry 
[to  your  mistaken  and  premature  expectation],  wait  for  it; 
because  it  will  surely  come,  it  will  not  tarry,"  that  is,  in 
reality — beyond  the  real  end.  But  there  would  be  a  bitter 
disappointment  and  seeming  tarrying,  by  the  virgins'  mis- 
take in  interpreting  the  "time  of  the  end"  as  the  end 


CHAP,  XX.]  THE  LlTTtE  OPEN  BOOK.  289 

itself.  They  mistook  also  the  judgment  of  Daniel  vii.  26, 
that  was  to  come  upon  the  papal  horn  at  the  end  of  its 
period — for  which  the  saints  under  the  altar  were  pray- 
ing— for  the  final  Judgment  of  the  world.  They  mistook, 
in  their  incipience  in  prophetic  study,  the  cleansing  of  the 
Sanctuary  for  the  cleansing  of  the  earth  by  the  judgment 
fires  of  the  last  day:  whereas  Daniel  viii.  14  relates  to  the 
cleansing  of  the  Church  of  papal  error.  Dan.  xi.  31  says, 
"they  shall  pollute  the  Sanctuary":  that  is,  not  the  earth 
but  the  temple,  the  holy  place  of  God's  abode  with  His 
people  (Eph.  ii.  20-23);  the  temple  into  which  the  "man 
of  sin"  brought  his  polluting  presence,  doctrines  and  in- 
fluences; in  which  he  cast  both  "the  stars"  and  "the  truth" 
to  the  ground  (viii.  10-13),  as  stated  immediately  preced- 
ing the  statement  about  cleansing,  in  verse  14.  Cleansed 
at  the  "time  of  the  end" :  for  He  proceeds  to  explain  to 
Daniel  (ver.  17)  that  "at  the  time  of  the  end  shall  be  the 
vision,"  /.  e.,  "belongeth  the  vision"  (Sharpe  and  Eevi- 
sion);  or,  "the  vision  shall  be  fulfilled"  (Douay);  "for  [it 
points]  to  the  time  of  the  end"  (Tafel).  This  settles  the 
ending-point  of  the  2,300  days. 

William   Miller  and  his  co-laborers,  therefore,  were 

right  in  ending  the  3,300  days  (or  years) 
THe  Movement  ^f  j)j^j^  ^.jj^  jj^  ;L843.  That  argument 
Not  all  Wrong,  uevcr  has  been  shown  wrong,  and  never 

can  be  overthrown.  It  was  not  the  time, 
but  the  event  which  the  period  pointed  out,  that  was  wrong 
in  their  teaching.  It  was  putting  the  end  where  the  time 
of  the  end — the  day,  not  of  His  coming,  but  "the  day  of 
His  preparation" — was  being  marked.  For  it  will  be  no- 
ticed, by  those  who  study  prophetic  time,  that  the  periods 
which  end  at  this  point  of  mistake  are  all  given  in  symbols 
— "times,"  "months,"  "weeks,"  "days,"  with  one  single 
exception  in  each  book,  namely,  the  1,000  years  of  Revela- 


290  DIVINB  KEY  OF  THB  REVEI,ATI0N.       [part  IV. 

tion,  and  the  1/390  years*  of  Daniel.  The  symbolic 
periods  bring  ns  to  the  time  of  the  end  and  of  symbolic  ac- 
complishments— a  symbolic  coming  of  Christ  (the  coming 
down  of  the  rainbow  angel),  a  judgment  (the  terrible 
French  Eevolution,  in  answer  to  the  cry  of  the  martyrs), 
all  which  have  been  already  considered;  the  "lake  of  fire/' 


*The  original  word  yamim  is  rendered  "days"  three  times 
in  Dan.  vii. — 1,290  yamim,  1,335  yamim,  end  of  the  2/awiw-^verses 
II,  12,  13.  Primarily,  days  is  its  meaning,  but  not  its  only 
meaning;  it  means  in  cases  years,  too.  There  should  be  some 
other  reason  for  rendering  it  days,  in  a  particular  case,  than 
simply  that  days  is  its  primary  sense.     Gesenius  says  it  means 

"(2)  time,  without  any  reference  to  days,  Gen. 
Ge.seiiin.s'  xlvii.   8,   'the   time    (period)    of  thy   life.'     In 

Testimony  'thg   time    of   Abraham,'    Gen.    xxvi.    i 

on  Yamim.  (3)   fhe  signification   of  time   is   limited  to   a 

certain  space  of  time,  namely,  a  year  [italics 
his],  as  in  Syriac  and  Chaldee  (the  corresponding  term  being 
here  given)  signifies  both  time  and  a  year;  and  in  German  also 
several  words  which  designate  time,  weight,  measure,  etc.,  are 
applied  to  certain  specific  periods  of  time,  weight,  and  meas- 
ures: Lev.  XXV.  29;  Judges  xvii.  10.  An  anniversary  sacrifice; 
I  Sam.  ii.  19.  Yearly:  Ex.  xiii.  10;  Judges  xi.  40;  xx.  19; 
I  Sam.  i.  3  (comp.  ver.  7);  ii.  19.  Also  used  in  a  plural  sense 
for  years,  with  the  addition  of  numerals:  2  Chron.  xxi.  19,  'at 
the  end  of  two  years;'  Amos  iv.  4,  'every  third  year.'"  {Heb. 
and  Eng.  Lex.)  It  is  rendered  season  three  times,  as  Gen.  xl.  4, 
"they  continued  a  season  in  ward,"  etc.;  (in  the  singular  and 
plural  forms)  time  and  times  sixty-two  times,  as  Gen.  iv.  3. 
"in  process  of  time  it  came  to  pass,"  etc.;  year,  years,  and 
yearly,  in  eight  other  places  than  those  mentioned  by  Gesenius: 
Nu.  ix.  22;  Josh.  xiii.  i  (twice);  i  Sam.  i.  21;  xx.  6;  xxvii. 
7;  2  Sam.  xiv.  26;  i  Kings  i.  i.  (See  Young's  Anal.  Cone.)  To 
these  should  be  added  the  three  instances  of  its  use  referred 
to  above, — the  angel's  closing  words  to  Daniel — where  there 
is  little  doubt  that  years  and  not  "days"  were  intended;  for  the 
angel  was  not  then  giving  additional  symbols  but  was  ex- 
plaining now  to  the  prophet,  in  plain  terms,  the  practical  use 
of  those  symbols  which  he  had  already  given  him;  namely, 
that  from  the  hidden  or  sealed  point  of  the  setting  up  of  the 
Abomination  of  Desolation,  to  the  unsealing  point  of  the  time 
of  the  end,  "There  shall  be,"  said  he,  "1,290  (yamim)  years; 
Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth,  and  cometh  to  the  thousand  three 
hundred  and  five  and  thirty  (yamim)  years.  But  go  thou  thy 
way  till  the  end  be;  for  thou  shall  rest,  and  stand  in  thy  lot 
at  the  end  of  the  (yamim)  years-" 


CHAP.  XX.] 


THE  LITTLE  OPEN  BOOK. 


291 


the  "new  heavens  and  new  earth/'  the  "sea  of  glass/'  the 
harps,  and  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb,  the  holy  city  from 
heaven,  and  God  dwelling  with  men — all  which  points  are 
yet  to  be  met  in  the  course  of  the  exposition.  The  1,335 
period  of  years  has  a  close  connection  with  these  symbols, 
but  goes  to  the  end  itself — to  a  real  coming  of  Christ;  a 
real '  descending  city  of  God;*  a  final  judgment  of  real 
fire,  that  will  devour  all  the  adversaries  of  Christ;  songs 
of  final  victories;  the  real  and  glorious  new  heavens  and 
earth;  and  the  literal  and  perfect  return  of  the  power  and 
kingdom  to  God,  and  His  more  real  abode  with  men. 

How  John  was  divinely  furnished  for  repeating  His 
work,  or  prophesying  again  before  all  peoples,  is  shown 
in  the  next  chapter. 

*  Compare  John  xiv.  2;  Heb.  xi.  10,  16;  xii.  22;  xiii.  14; 
2  Cor.  V.  I,  2;  Gal.  iv.  25,  26;  Phil.  iii.  20,  Greek  politeuma. 
"Our  city,  or  citizenship,  or  civil  rights.  The  word  properly 
signifies  the  administration,  government,  or  form  of  a  republic, 
or  state.  ...  It  signifies  also  a  republic,  a  city,  or  the  inhabit- 
ants of  any  city  or  place." — A.  Clarke,  Gomm.,  in  loco. 


PABT  FIFTH. 


THE  STUDY  OF  PEOPHETIC  TIME  COMMANDED, 
AND  AID  GIVEN. 

AN    INFIDEL   WAR    ON    THE    CHURCH    OF    ERROR, 

AND  UPON  THE  SCRIPTURES  OF  TRUTH— 

THE  TRUTH  TRIUMPHANT. 

"The  Anyel  ^tuod  /S'o(/in.7,  Rise,  and  Measure  the  Temple 
and  Altar." 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE   CHRONOMETEIC   EEED— MEASUEING   THE 

TEMPLE  AND  ALTAE— THE  AGE  OF 

FALSE  WOESHIP  WHICH 

POLLUTED  THEM. 

THE  TWO  WITNESSES  SLAIN  BY  THE  DRAGON  OUT 
OF  THE  PIT. 

CHAPTEE  XXII. 

EEVIVAL     OF     THE     TWO     AVITNESSES— THEIE 
ASCENSION. 

RENAISSANCE  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  FRANCE— END 
OF   THE    SECOND    WOE— GREAT    EXALTA- 
TION OF  THE  WORD  OF  GOD. 


PAET  FIFTH. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE   CHRONOMETRIC   REED— MEASURING   THE 

TEMPLE  AND  ALTAR— THE  AGE  OF 

FALSE    WORSHIP    WHICH 

POLLUTED   THEM. 

THE  TWO   WITNESSES   SLAIN   BY   THE   DRAGON    OUT 
OF    THE    PIT. 

Text,  Chapter  xi.  1-9. 

1.  And  there  was  given  me  a  reed  like  unto  a  rod:  and  the 
angel  stood,  saying,  Rise,  and  measure  the  temple  of  God,  and 
the  altar,  and  them  that  worship  therein. 

2.  But  the  court  which  is  without  the  temple  leave  out, 
and  measure  it  not;  for  it  is  given  unto  the  Gentiles:  and  the 
holy  city  shall  they  tread  under  foot  forty  and  two  months. 

3.  And  I  will  give  power  unto  My  two  witnesses,  and  they 
shall  prophesy  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  threescore  days, 
clothed  in  sackcloth. 

4.  These  are  the  two  olive  trees,  and  the  two  candlesticks 
standing  before  the  God  of  the  earth. 

5.  And  if  any  man  will  hurt  them,  fire  proceedeth  out  of 
their  mouth  and  devoureth  their  enemies:  and  if  any  man  will 
hurt  them,  he  must  in  this  manner  be  killed. 

6.  These  have  power  to  shut  heaven,  that  it  rain  not  in 
the  days  of  their  prophecy:  and  have  power  over  waters  to 
turn  them  to  blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  all  plagues, 
as  often  as  they  will. 

7.  And  when  they  shall  have  finished  their  testimony,  the 
beast  that  ascendeth  out  of  the  bottomless  pit  shall  make  war 
against  them,  and  shall  overcome  them,  and  kill  them. 

295 


296  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.        [parT  V. 

8.  And  their  dead  bodies  sliall  lie  in  the  street  of  the  great 
city,  which  spiritually  is  called  Sodom  and  Egypt,  where  also 
our  Lord  was  crucified. 

9.  And  they  of  the  people  and  kindreds  and  tongues  and 
nations  shall  see  their  dead  bodies  three  days  and  a  half,  and 
shall  not  suffer  their  dead  bodies  to  be  put  in  graves. 

JOHN  is  now  told  to  measure  the  polkited  temple 
and  altar — polhited  by  the  Thyatirian  "man  of 
sin"  (2  Thes.  ii.  3,  4;  Dan.  xi.  31),  and  is  given  a 
symbolic  measuiing  reed. 

"A  reed  like  unto  a  rod." — This  reed  is  sim- 
ilar to  one  seen  by  Ezekiel  (chap.  xl.  3,  5)  in  the 
hand  of  one  who  also  had  "a  line  of  flax/'  With 
which  he  measured  the  temple  of  that  iJrophefs  vision. 
Zechariah  (chap,  ii.)  saw  the  same  personage,  or  angel, 
with  line  in  hand,  going,  as  he  said,  "To  measure  Jerusa- 
lem, to  see  what  is  the  length  thereof,  and  what  is  the 
breadth  thereof."  The  line  and  the  reed,  of  course,  were 
symbols,  the  same  as  the  temple  and  city  of  the  visions 
were;  and  were,  therefore,  not  for  linear  measurements, 
but  chronometric — for  the  measurement  of  time,  or  an 
age.  Doubtless  either  Ezekiel  or  Zechariah  could  have 
informed  those  measurers,  had  they  inquired,  of  the  exact 
linear  dimensions  of  the  temple,  or  of  the  walled  city  of 
Jerusalem,  for  they  were  matters  of  Scriptural  record. 

"  Rise,  and  measure." — Whatever  may  be  the  pop- 
ular sentiment  of  our  times  relative  to  prophetic  meas- 
urements, John,  as  representing  the  Church,  was  com- 
manded by  the  angel  to  rise  and  go  about  the  the  work  of 
measuring.  Chronometric  study  was,  therefore,  safer  for 
him,  and  is  safer  for  us  to-day,  then  its  neglect  under  the 
miserably  deceptive  excuse  tliat  it  is  "prying  into  the 
mysteries  of  God."  He  must  measure  something:  what  is 
thus  symbolized? 


CHAP.  XXI.]  MBASURINO  THE  TBMPLE.  297 

"The  temple  of  God,  and  the  altar,  and  them 
that  worship  therein." — The  temple  of  God  in  the 
Gospel  dispensation  is  the  antitype  of  the  original 
Mosaic  tabernacle  and  Solomonic  temple  (built  after 
the  same  pattern) — the  place  selected  by  God  for  the 
official  communication  of  His  will  to  Israel  through 
the  priesthood  ;  that  is,  the  Gospel  Church  as  an 
organized  body.  The  "altar''  and  the  "worshipers 
therein"  (that  is,  in  the  temple)  are  the  official  body  of 
the  organization — its  High  Priest  (Heb.  viii.),  its  bishops 
and  deacons  (1  Tim.  iii.),  its  evangelists,  pastors  and  teach- 
ers (Eph.  iv.  4-11) — instituted,  like  its  Levitical  type,  "for 
the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ  (ver.  13). 

"The  court  which  is  without  the  temple." — 

The  temple  was  surrounded  by  three  walls  inclosing 
three  open  courts:  the  first,  immediately  about  the  temple, 
contained  the  brazen  sea  and  altar  of  burnt  offerings,  and 
was  called  the  "inner  court,"  or  "court  of  the  priests,"  and 
was  included  in  the  measurement.  Next,  outside  this, 
was  the  "outer  court,"  or  "court  of  Israel,"  in  two  apart- 
ments, the  first,  entering  it  from  the  east  through  the 
"beautiful  gate,"  was  called  the  "court  of  the  women." 
Outside  the  court  of  Israel  again  was  still  a  much  larger 
court,  beautifully  ornamented  with  variegated  marble  pave- 
ment, its  outer  wall  with  "porches"  and  magnificent  gal- 
leries; and  was  called  the  "court  of  the  Gentiles,"  because 
the  Gentiles  were  permitted  freely  to  enter  into  it.  But 
they  must  not  approach  too  near  the  court  of  Israel,  which 
was  guarded  by  a  low  balustrade,  called  chel,  with  pillars 
at  certain  distances  "on  which  there  were  Greek  and  Latin 
inscriptions,  interdicting  all  heathen,  under  penalty  of 
death,  to  advance  farther."  (See  Kitto  and  others.)  It 
was  this  last  court  which  John  was  told  to  leave  out,  and 


298  DIVINS  KKY  OF  THB  REVELATION.        [part  v. 

"  Measure  it  not,  for  it  is  given  to  the  Gentiles." 

— The  reason  assigned  for  not  measuring  this  court 
is  itself  symbolic,  and,  before  it  can  explain,  must 
be  explained,  through  a  study  of  the  old  type.  Con- 
nected with  Moses'  tabernacle  there  was  no  such  rec- 
ognition of  the  Gentiles  as  was  afterward  "given"  to 
them,  when  King  Solomon  built  the  temple  and  added  the 
beautiful  "court  of  the  Gentiles."  But  if  the  temple  and 
altar  were  more  highly  typical,  they  were  not  more  surely 
types,  than  even  this  court.  It  but  illustrates  the  Abra- 
hamic  promise  that  his  seed  should  bless  all  nations,  and 
the  prophecy  that  in  the  last  days  God  would  pour  out 
His  Spirit  upon  all  flesh.  Solomon  built  the  Gentile  court 
in  type;  Jesus  received  the  Gentiles  in  antitype.  In  this 
antitypical  dispensation  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile, 
as  such,  before  God.  But  the  term  Jews  may  be  used  as 
a  symbol  of  its  original  designation,  namely,  those  in 
covenant  with  God — whom  we  now  call  Christians.  We 
found  the  term  thus  used  in  chapters  ii.  9,  and  iii.  9.  And 
so  also  the  term  Gentile,  though  it  no  longer  conveys  the 
idea  of  class  or  covenant  interdiction,  may  still  be  used  as 
a  symbol  of  the  old  condition — "children  of  wrath,"  and 
"having  no  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world"  (Eph.  ii. 
3,  13) — in  the  ordinary  sense,  sinners. 

Men  of  the  world,  we  understand  then,  at  some  time 
in  the  history  of  the  Church,  according  to 
Application  |-]^g  type,  are  to  have  special  recognition 
of  tiie  Court,  bythc  Churcli — a  court  prepared  for  them 
and  afterward  to  be  incorporated  to- 
gether, and  other  prophetic  conditions  result.  Accord- 
ingly, we  find  in  the  dispensational  symbols  of  the  Church 
(Rev.  iv.  7),  as  we  have  already  seen,  "the  face  as  a  man" 
as  the  principal  characteristic  of  the  "living  creature" 
which  symbolized  that  period  which  immediately  preceded 


Chap.  XXI.]  MEASURING  T^HK  TEMPI,:^,  299 

the  age  of  the  great  apostasy  and  persecution.  The  first 
answers  to  the  Constantinian  period,  beginning  in  the 
fourth  century;  the  last,  to  the  Justinian  period,  beginning 
ih  the  sixth  century.  Of  this  "face-as-a-man"  period,  I 
will  requote  a  note  in  the  Cottage  Bible,  which  reads  thus: 
"At  the  same  time  [of  Constantino's  conversion]  the 
Christian  Church  became  infested  with  all  the  vices  of  the 
state — ambition,  jealousy,  duplicity,  and  a  spirit  of  hostil- 
ity, still  more  criminal  among  those  who  bear  the  name 
of  Christians,  than  among  heathen  governments.'^ 

All  this  was  clearly  typified  in  the 
Solomon's  Acts  -^^ork  and  the  resulting  apostasy  of  Solo- 
were  Typical,  j^^^  ^f^er  that  king  had  built  a  beauti- 
ful court  for  the  Gentiles,  instead  of 
bringing  them  to  a  better  knowledge  of  God,  they  drew 
him  away  after  their  idols: — 

"But  King  Solomon  loved  many  strange  women  [attracted 
to  his  Gentile  court  by  the  splendor  of  its  appointments  and 
surroundings],  together  with  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh,  women 
of  the  Moabites,  Ammonites,  Edmonites,  Zidonians  and  Hittites; 
of  the  nations  concerning  which  the  Lord  said  unto  the  children 
of  Israel,  Ye  shall  not  go  in  to  them,  neither  shall  they  come 
in  unto  you;  for  surely  they  will  turn  away  your  heart  after 
their  gods;  Solomon  clave  unto  these  in  love.  And  he  had 
seven  hundred  wives,  princesses,  and  three  hundred  concubines; 
and  his  wives  turned  away  his  heart.  For  it  came  to  pass,  when 
Solomon  was  old,  that  his  wives  turned  away  his  heart  after 
other  gods,  ....  after  Ashteroth  the  goddess  of  the  Zidonians, 
and  after  Milcom,  the  abomination  of  the  Ammonites.  And 
Solomon  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  [thus  "forsaking  the 
holy  convenant" — see  antitype,  Dan.  xi.  28,  31,]  and  went  not 
fully  after  the  Lord,  as  did  David  his  father.  Then  did  Solomon 
build  an  high  place  [typical  of  Pergamos]  for  Chemosh,  the 
abomination  of  Moab,  in  the  hill  that  is  before  Jerusalem  and 
for  Molech  the  abomination  of  the  children  of  Ammon.  And 
likewise  did  he  for  all  his  strange  wives,  who  burnt  incense  and 
sacrificed    unto    their   gods.      And   the    Lord    was    angry   with 


300  DIVINB  K«V  OP  THE  REVELATION.        [pARt  V. 

Solomon,  because  his  heart  was  turned  from  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel,  which  had  appeared  unto  him  twice."  (i  Kings 
xi.  1-9.) 

In  this  history  of  Solomon  (as  we  saw  in  the  case  of 
Constantine  in  the  heights  of  Pergamos)  is  it  not  easy  to 
discern  the  typical  lineaments  of  the  "face  as  a  man" — 
"ambition,  jealousy,  duplicity" — drawn  over  a  picture  in- 
tended to  represent  the  divine  ideal  of  human  relation- 
ships— meekness,  humility,  love,  chastity,  and  an  eye 
single  to  the  glory  of  the  one  God?  Had  Solomon  re- 
tained these,  he  never  could  have  "set  up"  the  "abomina- 
tions" of  the  heathen.  But,  having  made  them  a  court, 
to  save  them,  he  allowed  them  an  influence  over  him  to 
destroy  himself;  an  abomination  was  soon  set  up,  Babylon 
was  soon  reached,  and  seventy  long  years  of  bondage  for 
that  people,  and  desolation  for  that  land,  succeeded  to 
teach  Israel  the  will  of  God.  So  again,  history  repeated 
itself  when  Constantine,  thinking  or  pretending  he  was 
converted  to  Christianity,  set  about  converting  its  simple 
unpretentious  institutions  and  offices  to  conform  to  human 
vanity  and  pomp  and  show;  and  he  brought  all  his  in- 
fluence and  wealth,  as  Emperor  of  Rome,  to  enhance  the 
glory  of  that  Church  whose  divine  Founder  had  said, 
"Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the 
world.  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father 
is  not  in  him."  The  Church  embraced  Constantine,  and 
were  intoxicated  with  the  spirit  of  the  world  and  the  splen- 
dor of  his  designs,  and  thus  early  committed  spiritual 
adultery  with  an  earthly  king.  All  her  graces  were  gone. 
The  middle  wall  of  partition  between  the  Church  and  the 
world  was  broken  down;  and  the  court,  which  should  have 
remained  under  the  faithful  surveillance  of  Israel,  was 
given  up,  instead,  to  the  "Gentiles" — the  world. 


CHAP.  XXI.]  MEASURING  THB  TEMPLE.  30I 

It  is  thus  evident  that  the  court  of  the  Gentiles  (which 
was  not  to  be  measured)  represents  the  privileges  extended 
to  the  Gentiles  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  Gospel  dis- 
pensation; while  the  temple,  to  which  the  court  led,  (and 
which  ivas  to  be  measured,)  represents  the  accepted  rela- 
tionship between  Christ  and  believers,  or,  in  one  word, 
that'  condition  known  as  the  -Church.  We  are  not  to 
measure  the  privileged  condition  in  the  court,  but  the 
assumed  relationship  in  the  temple  or  Church.  The  world 
once  fairly  settled  in  the  courts  of  the  Lord's  house,  the 
"man  of  sin"  would  soon  advance  to  the  temple  itself,  and 
seat  himself  there,  as  we  have  already  seen  in  the  history 
of  Thyatira — the  Union  of  Church  and  State  (p.  104), 
and  the  anticlirist  (p.  Ii7). 

"And  the  holy  city  shall  they  tread  under  foot 
forty  and  two  months." — The  holy  city  was  Jerusalem, 
the  "mother"  of  literal  Israel,  and  a  symbol  of  the 
Gospel  Church,  the  same  as  the  temple  so  often  is. 
"They,"  the  worshipers  at  the  altar  and  in  the  tem- 
ple to  be  measured — these  Gentile  intruders,  usurpers 
of  the  legitimate  powers  of  the  true  ministry — shall 
tread  the  "holy  city" — the  Church  or  "the  saints" — under 
foot  for  a  specified  period  of  time:  that  work  and  power 
are  the  subjects  of  the  several  periods  of  prophecy,  already 
mentioned,  found  in  the  Book  of  Daniel.  In  forty-two 
months  there  are  (as  the  Jews  reckoned)  1,260  days,  the 
same  period  of  time  which  we  have  already  considered; 

and  the  only  one  of  Daniel's  periods  that 
The  Prophetic  ^g  duplicated  in  this  book.  But  if  we  learn 
Championship,    ^q  ^^gg  ^]^g  j.qq^  correctly  in   connection 

with  this  one  period,  we  will  be  prepared 
to  "rise  and  measure,"  perhaps,  all  that  the  visions  furnish 
for  measurement.  This  forty-two  months  period  measures 
the  "war  on  the  saints."     It  is  plain  that  the  war  must 


302  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI.ATION.        [parT  v. 

commence  and  go  on  to  a  certain  point  of  conquest  before 
the  warring  power  could  "set  up"  the  Abomination  of 
Desolation  "in  the  holy  place;"  for  that  work  was  to  be 
done  by  "arms"  or  armies  standing  "on  his  [the  horn's] 
part"  (see  the  prophecy  of  Daniel,  chap.  xi.  31).  The 
1,290  period  measures  the  complete  supremacy  of  the  papal 
power,  from  the  setting  up  of  the  Abomination  of  Desola- 
tion to  the  "last  end"  of  its  "indignation  against  the  holy 
covenant."  And  the  1,335  period  reaches  from  the  same 
point  to  the  resurrection  of  the  dead!  But  that  point  of 
the  complete  establishment  of  the  abomination  is  the  divine 
enigma  of  prophecy  and  history.  Its  discovery  will  crown 
the  successful  student  as  the  champion  of  prophecy,  the 
Columbus  of  prophetic  research,  and  shower  upon  him  the 
grateful  applause  of  all  his  fellow  students,  if  not  the 
plaudits  of  the  angels  who  "desire  to  look  into  these 
things,"  and  have  watched  our  respectful  and  patient  study 
of  these  visions  and  revelations  from  God. 

"And  I  will  give  power  unto  nay  two  witnesses, 
and  they  shall  prophesy  a  thousand  and  three- 
score days,  clothed  in  sackcloth." — The  giving  of 
power  to  the  witnesses  only  shows  the  desperate  struggle 
of  their  enemies  for  their  life.     Four  questions  arise  here: 

I.  What  power  was  given  to  the  witnesses? 

II.  What  is  represented  by  the  two  witnesses? 

III.  What  is  their  testimony? 

IV.  When  do  they  begin  and  end  the  sackcloth  state? 

I  answer  briefly,  before  offering  proof,  (1)  divine 
power  was  given  to  (2)  the  Old  Testament  Prophets  and 
New  Testament  Apostles  to  continue,  throughout  the  sack- 
cloth period,  (3)  their  testimony  of  truth  against  the  creeds 
and  popular  doctrines  of  their  enemies,  (the  Eoman  Coun- 


CHAP.  XXI.]  THE  TWO  WITNESSES.  303 

cils  that  "darkened  counsel  by  words  without  knowledge," 
— words  of  their  traditions,)  faithfully  verifying  all  their 
predicted  judgments  upon  their  enemies,  from  (4)  a.d.  531 
to  their  death  in  a.d.  1791. 

I.  The  Divine  Poiver  Promised.  Our  translators  cor- 
rectly supplied  the  word  power.  This  is  seen  in  verses  5,  6: 
"And  if  any  man  will  hurt  them,  fire  proceedeth  out  of 
their  mouth,  and  devoureth  their  enemies;  and  if  any  man 
will  hurt  them,  he  must  in  this  manner  be  killed.  These 
have  power  to  shut  heaven,  that  it  rain  not  in  the  days  of 
their  prophecy;  and  have  power  over  waters  to  turn  them 
to  blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  all  plagues  as  often 
as  they  will."  These  witnesses  both  prophesy  and  work 
genuine  miracles,  therefore  they  have  received  the  neces- 
sary divine  power. 

This  symbolism  is  drawn  from  the  experiences  of  the 
Prophet  Elijah.  They  were  recounted  at  page  100,  and  on- 
ward, in  connection  with  the  Church  of  Thyatira.  Elijah, 
driven  into  the  wilderness  by  Jezebel,  did  the  wonderful 
things  mentioned,  of  calling  down  fire  from  heaven,  and 
destroying  the  enemies  of  God;  of  closing  the  heavens 
against  rain  over  the  land  of  Israel  for  three  and  one-half 
years,  that  is  "forty  and  two  months,"  or  1,260  days;  and 
again  of  opening  the  heavens  for  copious  showers  at  the 
close  of  the  period.  So  were  the  Church  without  those 
special  showers  of  grace  and  blessing,  according  to  the  pre- 
dictions of  the  prophets,  during  the  1,260  years  that  the 
true  Church,  like  Elijah,  was  driven  to  the  wilderness  and 
mountains;  and  so,  like  Elijah's  rain,  did  the  blessings  of 
God  come  down  from  heaven  with  the  open  and  multi- 
plied copies  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  early  part  of  this  cen- 
tury; and  at  the  same  time  the  fire  of  fatal  papal  and 
national  judgments  fell  on  Rome  in  sight  of  all  the  world. 


304  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI^ATION.        [part  v. 

II.  The  Tzvo  Witnesses,  the  Old  and  Nezv  Testaments, 
as  representing  the  Prophets  and  Apostles.  We  know  they 
have  the  prophetic  spirit  and  power,  for  they  prophesy 
truly.     They  are  identified  by  the  description  of  verse  4: — 

"These  are  the  two  oKve  trees,  and  the  two 
candlesticks  standing  before  the  Lord  of  the 
earth." — The  two  cherubim  in  the  Holy  of  Holies  were 
made  of  "  olive  tree  overlaid  with  gold  "  (1  Kings  vi.  23), 
and  placed  upon  the  mercy  seat,  facing  each  other,  their  wings 
spread  out  to  the  walls  of  the  sanctuary.  God  (in  Christ)  is 
always  represented  as  sitting  "between  the  cherubim;"'  and 
thus  they  were  "standing  before  the  Lord  of  the  earth." 
The  tivo,  therefore,  represent  the  two  dispensations  which 
meet  in  C^hrist — the  Mosaic  and  the  Christian.  The 
testimony  of  God  concerning  all  divine  things  in  the  former 
age  is  through  the  prophets;  that  in  the  latter  age  is 
through  the  apostles.  The  space  between  the  cherubim 
Avas  filled  with  the  Shekinah,  or  cloud  of  visible  glory,  in- 
dicative of  the  presence  of  God.  This  was  a  symbol  of 
Christ,  who  should  be  manifested  to  Israel  between  the  two. 
dispensations.  Th(^  cherub  representing  the  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation was  looking  fori^'ard  to  that  manifestation;  and 
all  the  prophets  testified  of  it  as  a  matter  of  prophetic  cer- 
tainty: the  cherub  representing  the  Christian  dispensation 
was  looking  backzvard  to  the  same  manifestation;  and  the 
apostles  testify  of  it  as  a  matter  of  historic  verity. 

The  symbols  are  ])orrowed  more  directly  from  the 
vision  of  Zechariah,  and  are  partly  explained  in  chapter 
iv.  of  his  book.  That  prophet  saw  a 
zechariaii's  golden  caudlestick  crowned  (1)  with  a 
Candlestick.  hozvl,  (2)  with  sez'e)i  hunps,  which  were 
connected  with  the  bowl  by  means  of  seven 
pipes,  all  of  gold.  Beside  these,  on  the  right  and  on  the 
left^  w^ere  two  olive  trees,  connected  with  the  bowl  by  two 


MTOFTHE 


^'*''LL  BLESS 

JEWISH  CHURCH 


AUTrtt. 


EPHESUS  SMYRNA  PERGflMOS. 


THE    GOLDEN    CANDLESTICK. 

The  "  TVo  Witnesses,"  two  "Olive  Trees,"  or  "Anointed  Ones,"  that 
stand  by  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth.— Zech.  iv. 


CHAP.  XXI.]  THE  TWO  WITNESSES.  305 

golden  pipes,  and  emptying  golden  oil  out  of  themselves. 
The  oil  is  explained  to  be  the  "Word  of  the  Lord"  (ver.  6); 
the  seven  lamps,  "the  eyes  of  the  Lord"  (ver.  10),  i.  e., 
the  Church  (chap.  ii.  8),  the  same  as  the  seven  lamps  and 
candlesticks  of  the  Eevelation  (see  pages  59,  60);  and  the 
two  olive  trees,  "the  two  anointed  ones  [referring  to  the 
temple  cherubim]  standing  before  the  Lord  of  the  whole 
earth"  (ver.  14).  These  are  the  only  direct  explanations 
given.  But  we  understand  the  whole  to  be  a  symbolic 
picture  of  the  grace  of  God  as  revealed  to,  and  bestowed 
upon,  men  in  two  great  dispensations — the  Mosaic  and  the 
Christian.  The  candlestick  has  two  sections:  (1)  the  boivl 
— the  "fountain  opened  to  the  house  of  David  and  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  for  sin  and  uncleanness;"  it  was 
the  fountain  of  sacrificial  blood,  typical  of  Christ  the 
Hebrew  Seed,  and  the  Hebrew  Church,  in  "the  dispensa- 
tion of  death:''  (2)  the  seven  lamps,  connected  with  the 
bowl  by  their  seven  golden  pipes, — Christ  in  the  Christian 
or  all-nations  Church,  in  its  seven  phases,  in  "the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Spirit.''  The  olive  trees  are  the  prophets  and 
the  apostles  of  the  two  dispensations,  "anointed" — filled 
with  the  Holy  Spirit — to  stand  "before  [Gr.  ton  Kurioti] 
the  Lord  of  the  earth,"  i.  e.,  Jesus  (Lu.  i.  17,  76;  ii.  11; 
iii.  4;  Acts  ii.  36;  x.  36),  as  His  two  witnesses.  The  oil 
comes  through  the  trees,  but  it  is  not  of  the  trees,  for  it 
is  not  olive,  but  golden  oil.  And  as  gold  represents  truth, 
it  is  the  Word  of  God  spoken  by  the  prophets  and  apostles. 

The  oil  is  first  poured  into  the  bowl  through  the  two 
pipes,  and  then  flows  on  through  the  seven 
The  Golden  Oil.  pipes  to  the  scvcu  lamps.  Jesus,  Him- 
self the  seed  of  Abraham, — His  throne  the 
throne  of  David, — and  all  truth  through  Him,  sprang  out 
of  that  Hebrew  fountain,  and  is  the  light  and  hope  of  the 
all-nations  Church.     And  all  the  prophets,  of  both  dis- 


306  DIVINE  KEY  OF  TEE  REVELATION.        [part  v. 

pensations,  concentrate  all  their  glorious  predictions  of 
God's  mercy,  and  exhaust  all  their  glowing  descriptions 
of  His  love,  in  Christ,  whose  blood  is  the  fountain  of 
life,  and  began  to  flow  "from  the  foundation  of  the  world," 
and  ended  with  the  old  dispensation,  at  His  cross.  But 
that  bowl,  in  itself,  was  all  dark;  it  could  receive  nor  re- 
flect no  bright  ray  of  light  from  the  murky  waters  of  the 
river  of  death,  flowing  down  all  the  Old  Testament  dispen- 
sation; there  was  no  light  or  life  in  it — nought  but  golden 
oil  and  faith.  The  golden  oil  flowed  silently  on,  through 
the  bowl  and  pipes,  past  the  cross  to  the  resurrection  and 
the  lamps  of  light  and  joy — the  churches  of  the  new  dis- 
pensation situated  along  the  river  of  life;  for  at  the  cross 
the  dark  river  was  turned  out  of  its  course,  to  be  lost  in 
the  sands  of  time;  but  at  the  resurrection,  out  of  the  new 
hewn  rock,  there  came  also  the  bright  new  river  of  life  and 
hope.  Along  its  fertile  banks,  on  either  side,  (the  Jewish 
and  the  Christian,)  and  alike  accessible  to  the  Ephesian  at 
its  head  waters,  the  Thyatirian  on  lower  banks,  or  the 
Laodicean  near  where  it  empties  itself  in  the  great  eternal 
sea,  there  is  the  Tree  of  Life,  of  which  who  eats  shall 
never  die. 

III.  What  is  the  Testimony  of  the  Tzvo  Witnesses? 
It  is  not  something  strange  or  new,  but  "the  old,  old 
story."  "I  am  not  alone,"  said  Jesus,  "but  I  and  the 
Father  who  sent  Me.  It  is  also  written  in  your  law  that 
the  testimony  of  two  men  is  true  [or  to  be  received].  I 
am  one  that  bear  witness  of  Myself,  and  the  Father  who 
sent  Me  beareth  witness  of  Me"  (John  viii.  16-18).  This 
was  very  true  to  Jesus'  immediate  audiences.  But  in  the 
general  way,  which  we  are  considering,  it  is  plain  that  all 
the  way  back  of  Jesus  the  Father's  testimony  was  through 
the  prophets;  and  all  the  way  before  Him,  His  own  testi- 


CHAP.  XXI.]  THE  TWO  WITNESSES.  307 

mony  was  through  His  apostles.  "Search  the  Scriptures," 
said  He,  *  *  *  "they  are  they  that  testify  (Revision,  wit- 
ness) of  Me"  (John  v.  39).  Men  have  looked  in  vain,  and 
will,  for  aa  individual  antichrist;  and  also  for  individual 
witnesses  to  rise  up  for  a  brief  space  before  the  end,  and 
testify  concerning  the  work  of  Christ.  But  it  seems  very 
clear  that  the  prophets  in  the  Old,  and  the  apostles  in  the 
New  Testament,  are  "the  two  anointed  ones"  of  God,  to 
stand  always  before  the  Lord  as  witnesses:  the  first  testi- 
fying prophetically  of  the  coming  of  the  "Seed  of  the 
woman,"  of  Abraham  and  David,  and  predicting  the  glory 
and  triumph  of  His  work;  the  second  testifying  historically 
of  His  coming.  His  mighty  works,  His  death.  His  resurrec- 
tion, and  His  glory.  They  are  "two  olive  trees"  dispensing 
the  holy  oil,  and  "two  candlesticks"  holding  high  the  light 
of  life  in  Christ. 

IV.  Their  Testimony,  Clothed  in  Sackcloth,  A.  D. 
^ji-iypi.  The  familiar  period  of  1,260  years  is  the  meas- 
ure given  for  their  time  of  prophesying  in  humiliation, 
and  it  accords  very  nearly  with  the  period  of  war  upon  the 
saints;  but  the  war  did  not  necessarily  put  them  in  im- 
mediate mourning.  Procopius,  a  Greek  historian  of  the 
time,  has  the  following  notes:  "530.  The  heretics  are  for- 
bidden meeting  at  public  assemblies."  "531.  A  new  law 
forbids  the  heretics  from  giving  testimony  in  courts  of 
justice."  Only  in  529  the  Justinian  code  of  laws  had  been 
completed,  framed  entirely  in  the  interests  of  Romanism; 
in  530  the  assemblies  of  Christians  were  prohibited;  and 
now,  in  531,  they  cannot  be  heard  in  testimony  before  a 
court  of  so-called  justice.  But  what  greater  injustice 
could  be  done  any  people.  For  we  remember  that  "in  the 
Creed  of  Justinian  the  guilt  of  murder  could  not  be  ap- 
plied to  the  slaughter  of  unbelievers."     Thus  the  helpless 


3o8  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVElvATlON.        [part  v. 

witnesses  for  God  and  truth  had  no  rights  left  them  that 
the  imperial  courts  of  so-called  justice  were  bound  to  re- 
spect. The  new  law  was  but  a  license  for  a  guerilla  war- 
fare upon  them  throughout  the  empire.  There  was  not 
a  valuable  civil  right,  more  than  religious,  left  them.  They 
were  the  only  genuine  representatives  of  Old  and  New 
Testament  faith  left.  Tradition  and  Falsity  reigned;  and 
the  few  resolute  believers  had  to  flee  to  the  mountains  and 
forests,  with  their  secreted  Testaments,  for  their  lives. 
To  put  the  only  living  representatives  of  the  prophets  in 
mourning  was  to  put  the  prophetic  and  apostolic  writings 
themselves  in  sackcloth.  But,  with  the  loss  of  all  earthly 
toleration,  they  nevertheless  retained  that  heavenly  invest- 
ment of  divine  power  by  which  their  predicted  judgments 
were  visited  upon  their  enemies;  and  their  "rain"  was 
withheld  from  them  throughout  the  period. 

If  we  add  1,260  to  531,  we  have  1,791  for  the  close  of 
their  sackcloth  testimony,  which  was  with  the  death  of 
the  witnesses.  For  "when  they  shall  have  finished  their 
testimony,"  John  coi\tinues, 

"The  beast  that  ascendeth  out  of  the  bottom- 
less pit  shall  make  war  against  them,  and  over- 
come them,  and  kill  them." — The  witnesses  had  been 
warred  upon  for  1,260  years  by  Eomanism,  as  much  so,  and 
as  bitterly,  as  paganism  had  been.  We  meet  a  wonderful 
change-about  now.  I  have  showed,  in  connection  with  the 
sixth  seal  (pages  232  to  236),  how  at  the  end  of  the  1,260 
years  of  papal  persecution,  in  the  French  Eevolution,  all 
the  long  pent-up  fury  of  paganism  burst  out,  nor  stopped 
with  the  wreck  of  Eomanism,  but,  without  discrimination, 
made  a  bitter  onslought  upon  Christianity  also.  It  was  this 
beast  of  the  pit  warring  upon  the  witnesses.     Did  he  kill 


CHAp.  XXI.  i        tHE   DRACiON   AND   THE  WIl'NESSES.  3O9 

them?  There  is  but  one  answer,  and  that  is  given  by  the 
Kevelator. 

There  was  never  bnt  one  beast  cast  into  the  bottomless 
pit  in  these  symbols;  and  consequently  but  one  can  come 
out.  It  is  the  great  red  dragon,  whose  history  begins 
regularly  in  the  12th  chapter,  where  he  is  conquered  in 
war,  and  ^'^cast  out"  of  his  exalted  position.  He  is  despoiled 
of  everything  in  the  13th  chapter,  further  described  in 
the  17th  chapter,  and  "bound"  and  "cast  into  the  pit"  in 
the  20th  chapter.  The  reference  here  is  only  incidental, 
but  is  valuable  in  determining  points  in  his  chronology. 
We  cannot  here  follow  the  war  upon  him  which  led  to 
his  casting  out  and  binding,  but  leave  those  things  to 
their  order  in  the  exposition.  But  it  is  a  most  significant 
fact  brought  out  by  the  Eevelation  here,  in  view  of  the 
somewhat  popular  notion  of  his  present  incarceration  and 
future  escape,  that  he  escaped  ONCE,  at  the  close  of  the 
two  witnesses'  testimony,  in  sackcloth!  Who  can  show  that 
to  be  a  future  fulfillment?  Who  can  show  another  incar- 
ceration in  the  pit?  Who,  then,  can  show  another  pro- 
phetic release?  Who  can  maintain  the  millennial  expec- 
tation without  it?  If  the  beast  came  out  of  the  pit  when 
the  witnesses  finished  their  testimony  in  sackcloth,  then 
the  1,000  years  of  the  dragon  in  the  pit  end  in  unison  with 
the  1,260  years  of  the  witnesses  in  sackcloth.  This  is 
too  plain  to  be  candidly  overlooked. 

The  dragon  is  the  symbol  of  paganism,  and  the 
synonym  of  infidelity;  and  it  is  one  of  the 
War  upon  tiie  j^^Qg^-  patent  facts  in  history  that  since  the 
Witnesses.  ^^ys  of  Coustantiue  paganism  had  been 

under  duress  and  the  ban  of  the  great 
Church-State  union.  The  French  Eevolution  was  the 
loosing  of  the  beast  for  war.     Thus  Mr.  Alison  wrote: — 


3IO  DIVINE   KKY  OP  THK  REVEI^ATION.        [part  v. 

"The  Jacobines   of   Paris   founded   their   influences   on   the 
ridicule    of    every    species    of    devotion,    and 
Alison  on  the     erected  the   altar  of   Reason  on  the   ruins  of 
Dragron's  the  Christian  faith.     Nor  was  this  irreligious 

Work.  fanatism  confined  to  the  citizens  of  the  Metro- 

polis: it  pervaded  equally  every  department  of 
France  where  the  republican  principles  were  embraced,  and 
every  class  of  men  who  were  attached  to  its  iortunes."~IJist. 
of  Europe,  Vol.  i.,  p.  31. 

Pressense,  a  French  writer,  says: — 

"On  the  last  day  of  September,  1791,  the  Constituent  As- 
sembly handed  over  its  powers  to  that  stormy 
Pressense  Legislative  Assembly  which  accomplished  the 
on  the  sad  work  of  sweeping  away  the  monarchy  and 
Same.  establishing  the  Republic  on  the  ruins  of 
liberty.  ...  It  sought  to  subordinate  this 
[the  salaried  State]  clergy  to  the  government  [now  purely 
pagan]  by  means  of  the  civil  constitution  and  the  political  oath; 
it  carried  constraint  even  into  the  consciences.  Thus  in  the  very 
temple  of  liberty  the  old  idol  of  the  State  had  been  replaced 
on  the  altar  by  legislators  who,  while  believing  themselves  bold 
innovators,  were  in  this  manner  revivers  of  the  most  obsolete 
pretentions  of  the  ancient  monarchy Docile  and  pas- 
sionate disciples  of  an  unbelieving  age,  the  Girondists  displayed 
in  their  opposition  to  the  reactionary  clergy  all  the  prejudices 
of  a  materialistic  philosophy  which  was  incapable  of  respecting 
God  as  manifested  in  the  human  conscience.  They  gave  to  the 
world  the  shameful  spectacle  of  persecuting  disciples  of  Vol- 
taire."— Relig.  and  Reign  of  Ter.,  p.   138-144. 

"The  sole  sublime  characters  in  these  deplorable  struggles 
were  the  humble  martyrs,  whether  priests  or  peasants,  who, 
strangers  to  all  political  intrigues,  suffered  and  died  simply 
for  their  faith." — lb.,  p.   151. 

Furtlier  on  the  same  writer  continues: — 

"The  great  battle  was  fought  between  the  Constitutionalists 
of  1789  and  the  hot  Radicals  of  1791;  between  the  friends  of 
liberty  and  the  champions  of  mad  democracy.  The  victory  fell 
to  the  latter,  for  the  fever  of  the  moment  and  the  danger  of 
foreign  war  played  into  their  hands Some  churches  were 


CHAP.  XXI.]         THB  DRAGON   AND  THE  WITNESSES.        311 

opened  for  the  nonjuring  priests,  and  the  service  unmolested. 
Still  the  cause  of  irreligion  made  progress  day  by  day,  and  the 
Jacobin  club  was  constantly  the  theatre  of  violent  declamations 
against  Christianity.  In  the  departments  the  greatest  anarchy 
reigned." — lb.,  pp.   162-166. 

The  infidel  cities  of  France,  to  intensify  their  ex- 
pressions of  hatred  for  the  Bible,  Christianity,  and  Christ, 
vied  with  each  other  in  doing  homage  to  the  memory  of 
the  great  infidels  Voltaire  and  Eousseau,  and  "contested 
for  the  honor  of  possessing  the  bones"  of  Voltaire.  The 
Assembly  granted  the  inglorions  "honor"  to  Paris.  La- 
croix  thus  describes  the  profane  spectacle  of  receiving 
them : — 

"On  July  II,  1791,  the  authorities  went  in  a  body  to  the  city 
gate    to    welcome    his    mortal    remains.     The 
Lacroix's  coffin  was  placed  on  the  site  of  the  Bastile,  and 

Account.  exposed  to  the  multitude  the  rest  of  the  day. 

The  next  day  the  body  of  Voltaire  was 
mounted  on  a  triumphal  car  drawn  by  twelve  magnificently  ca- 
parisoned white  horses,  and  drawn  in  procession  through  the 
city  towards  the  Pantheon.  The  National  Assembly,  and  all 
the  chief  official  bodies  of  the  city  surrounded,  preceded,  or 
followed  the  sarcophagus.  Nothing  could  surpass  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  day,  or  the  fulsome  laudations  that  were  devoted  to 
the  memory  of  the  great  scoffer  by  the  unbelieving  generation 
of  the  Revolution." — Relig.  and  Reign  of  Ter.,  p.  387- 

France  had  opened  the  pit  and  let  out  the  dragon. 
In  Kovember,  1791,  under  the  direct  pay  of  the  Assembly, 
as  onr  quotation  from  Eowan  (p.  235)  shows,  he  attacked 
the  Bible — the  two  great  pillars  of  Christian  testimony — 
and  deluged  not  France  alone,  with  the  ravings  of  a  cor- 
rupt, infidel  philosophy,  "which  contributed  to  destroy  all 
religion,"  and  prostrated  the  witnesses  dead  in  the  dust. 
With  all  this  testimony,  can  we  fail  to  see  that  the  two 
witnesses  were  killed,  and  had  ceased  to  give  even  a  sack- 


3l^  mvINE  KEY  OP  THE  REVEI.ATTON.        [part  v. 

cloth  testimony  to  the  nation  where  this  scene  is  laid,  as 
shown  in  the  next  statement  of  the  Eevelator: — 

"And  their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  in  the  street 
of  the  great  city." — The  clothing  of  the  witnesses  in 
sackcloth  is  chargeable  upon  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
was  as  extensive  territorially  as  that  church  or  "city;"  but 
the  war,  killing,  and  exhibition  of  the  dead  bodies,  was  by 
the  dragon,  and  confined  to  one  of  the  streets  of  the  city. 
When  the  symbol  is  a  beast  with  seven  heads,  France  is 
one  of  the  heads;  or  if  with  horns,  one  of  the  horns. 
When  as  a  city  with  streets,  France  is  one  of  the  streets. 

"Which  spiritually  is  called  Sodom  and 
Egypt,  where  also  our  Lord  was  crucified." — The 

sins  of  Sodom  and  Egypt  were  licentiousness  and  idolatry, 
and  are  fit  symbols  for  figurative  application  to  the  "mother 
of  harlots  and  "abominations,"  who  has  committed  adultery 
with  so  many  kings  of  the  earth.  Our  Lord  was  spiritually 
crucified  in  the  persons  of  His  two  witnesses.  Christian- 
ity as  revealed  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  completely 
lost  its  hold  on  the  affections,  and  its  power  over  the 
consciences,  of  an  entire  nation,  given  over  to  riot,  licen- 
tiousness and  murder.  The  witnesses  lay  dead  in  that 
great  French  street  of  Catholicism  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1791. 

"And  they  of  the  *  *  nations  shall  see 
their  dead  bodies  three  days  and  a  half,  and  shall 
not  suffer  their  dead  bodies  to  be  put  in  graves." 

— If  Mr.  Eedhead  had  been  composing  history  for  the  oc- 
casion, with  special  reference  to  this  prophecy,  there  could 
hardly  appear  a  more  striking  coincidence  than  the  follow- 
ing statement  of  facts  furnishes: — 


CHAP.  XXI.]         fHB  DRAGON  AND  O^HH  WI'fNESSES.        ji;! 

"All  Europe,"  says  that  historian,  "stood  in  amazement  and 
perturbation  at  the  events  that  were  passing. 
Redhead's  The  prodigious  increase  of  power  in   France, 

Graphic  and  the  revolting  purposes  to  which  she  ap- 

Aeconnt.  plied  it,  began  to  arouse  a  universal  dread  for 

the  independence  of  nations,  and  the  exist- 
ence of  social  order  or  public  morality.  .  .  .  A.II  the  nations 
of  the  earth  seemed  to  rush  simultaneously  to  quell  her." — Hist, 
of  France,  p.  113. 

It  was  of  this  national  "struggle"  that  the  author  of 
Student's  France  wrote,  as  quoted  on  page  247. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

REVIVAL    OF    THE     TWO     WITJ;rESSES— THEIR 

ASCENSION. 

RENAISSANCE  OF  THE  CHURCH   IN'  FRANCE — END   OF  THE 

SECOND    WOE — GREAT    EXALTATION    OF 

THE   WORD    OF    GOD. 

Text,  Chapter  xi.  10-14. 

10.  And  they  that  dwell  upon  the  earth  shall  rejoice  over 
them,  and  make  merry,  and  shall  send  gifts  one  to  another; 
because  these  two  prophets  tormented  them  that  dwelt  on  the 
earth. 

11.  And  after  three  days  and  a  half  the  spirit  of  life  from 
God  entered  into  them,  and  they  stood  upon  their  feet;  and 
great  fear  fell  upon  them  which  saw  them. 

12.  And  they  heard  a  great  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto 
them,  Come  up  hither.  And  they  ascended  up  to  heaven  in  a 
cloud;  and  their  enemies  beheld  them. 

13.  And  the  same  hour  was  there  a  great  earthquake,  and 
the  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell,  and  in  the  earthquake  were  slain 
of  men  seven  thousand:  and  the  remnant  were  affrighted,  and 
gave  glory  to  the  God  of  heaven. 

14.  The  second  woe  is  past;  end,  behold,  the  third  woe 
Cometh  quickly. 

THE  death  of  the  two  witnesses  was  to  be  fully  rec- 
ognized during  their  prostrate  condition.     There- 
fore were  they  left  so  long  in  sight  of  their  ene- 
mies, that  their  revival  and  subsequent  exaltation  might 
appear  the  more  prominent  and  prophetic  by  contrast. 

314 


CHAP.  XXII.]       THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  WITNESSES.         315 

"And  they  *  *  shall  rejoice  over  them,  and 
make  merry  *  '•'  because  these  two  prophets 
tormented  them." — A  writer  gives  the  following  ac- 
count:— 

"A  very  remarkable  and  prophetic  distinction  of  tliis  period 
was  the  spirit  of  frenzied  festivity  which  seized 
Testimony  upon  France.  The  capital  and  all  the  re- 
*»'  publican  towns  were  the  scene  of  civil  feasts, 
Dr.  Croly.  processions  and  shows  of  the  most  extravagant 
kind.  The  most  festive  times  of  peace,  under 
the  most  expensive  kings,  were  thrown  into  the  shade  by  the 
frequency,  variety  and  extent  of  the  republican  exhibitions." 
And  though  this  was  "a  time  of  perpetual  miseries  throughout 
France,"  and  "the  guillotine  was  bloody  from  morn  till  night," 
yet  "in  the  midst  of  these  horrors,"  he  continues,  "there  were 
t.wenty-six  theatres  open,  filled  with  the  most  profane  and  prof- 
ligate displays  in  honor  of  the  'triumph  of  reason!'  But  more 
formal  scofifings  were  prepared  by  the  express  command  of  the 
government.  On  the  first  of  November,  1793,  Gobet,  with  the 
republican  priests  of  Paris,  [an  example  of  the  falling  stars  of 
the  sixth  seal,]  had  thrown  off  the  gown  and  abjured  religion. 
On  the  nth  a  'grand  festival,'  dedicated  to  'reason  and  truth,' 
was  celebrated  in  the  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame,  which  had  been 
desecrated  and  been  named  'the  temple  of  reason;'  a  pyramid 
was  erected  in  the  centre  of  the  church,  surmounted  by  a 
temple,  inscribed  'to  philosophy '  The  torch  of  'truth'  was  on 
the  altar  of  'reason'  shedding  light!  etc.  The  National  Con- 
vention and  all  the  authorities  attended  at  this  burlesque  and  in- 
sulting ceremony.  In  February,  1794,  a  grand  fete  was  ordered 
by  the  convention,  in  which  hymns  to  'liberty'  [meaning  blas- 
phemous license]  were  chanted In  June  another  festival 

was  ordered — to  the  'supreme  being,'  the  god  of  philosophy! 
But  the  most  superb  exhibition  was  the  'general  festival'  in 
honor  of  the  Republic.  It  was  distinquished  by  a  more  au- 
dacious spirit  of  scoffing  and  profanation  than  all  the  former. 
Robespierre  acted  the  'high  priest  of  reason'  on  the  day,  and 
made  himself  conspicuous  in  blasphemy." — Croly,  On  the 
Apocalypse,  pp.  119-121. 


3l6  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.        [parT  v. 

Nothing  but  biting  consciences  conld  have  instigated 
all  this.     Dr.  Thomas  Coke  also  writes,  as  follows: — 

"To  prevent,  in  the  midst  of  these  commotions,  every  symp- 
tom   of    returning    remorse,    and    to    banish 
Dr.  Colce  reflection    from    every    bosom,    the    minds    of 

Writes.  thg     Parisians     were     kept     in     a     continual 

fever  of  the  most  dissolute  gaiety.  'Between 
the  loth  of  August,  1792,  and  the  ist  of  January,  1794,' 
says  Robinson,  'upwards  of  two  hundred  nevi^  plays  were  acted 
in  the  Parisian  theatres.  Their  immorality  and  their  barbarism 
exceeded  all  conception.  All  the  voluptuous  sensuality  of  an- 
cient Rome  [the  mother  dragon]  was  brought  upon  the  stage, 
No  decoration  was  spared  that  could  dazzle  the  eye;  and  the 
dialogues  and  representations  were  calculated  to  inflame  the 
passions,  and  nourish  the  hatred  of  all  subordination.'" — Gomm., 
Vol.  vi.,  p.  187. 

Thus  did  men  "rejoice"  and  "make  merry"  over  the 
heavenly  witnesses'  prostration  in  the  dust.  But  it  was 
brief  merriment  and  expensive  Joy;  for — 

"If  any  man  will  hurt  them,  he  must  in  this 
manner  be  killed." — This  prediction  was  not  less  strik- 
ingly verified,  specially  while  the  witnesses  lay  dead  before 
the  nations.  Vengeance  returned  speedily  upon  the  heads 
of  the  worst  promoters  of  the  sacrilegious  work.  The  in- 
iquitous monster  Marat,  president  of  the  committee  of 

"surveillance,"  perished  at  the  hand  of  a 
The  Witnesses  young  Avoman,  Charlotte  Corday,  who 
Revenged.  traveled  from  Caen  to  Paris  to  kill  him. 

Twenty  of  the  blaspheming  Girondists 
were  guillotined  at  one  time,  October,  1793,  victims  of  the 
jealousies  of  the  equally  blasphemous  Jacobines,  when  they 
came  to  power,  under  the  lead  of  Robespierre.  Then  the 
wicked  Duke  of  Orleans  and  Madame  Eoland  were  led  to 
the  scaffold.  The  March  following  Robespierre  turned 
against  the  Hebertists,  through  whose  influence  the  decree 
had  been  obtained  by  which  "the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 


CHAP.  XXII.]        THE  DRAGON  AND  THE   WITNESSES.         317 

was  formally  proscribed  and  suppressed,"  and  "all  Christian 
worship  prohibited;"  and  nineteen  of  the  vilest  blasphem- 
ers that  ever  lived  to  hate  God  and  revile  their  only 
Saviour,  including  Hebert  himself,  Vincent,  Eonsin  and 
"Anacharsis"  Clootz,  were  brought  to  their  own  bloody 
block:  all  but  the  last  two  "betraying  the  most  abject 
weakness  and  terror  in  the  last  moments."  Chaumette, 
who  had  played  high  priest  to  reason  in  November,  was 
next  put  under  the  terrible  knife;  and  in  April  Danton, 
Camille  Desmoulins  and  thirteen  associate  revilers  of  the 
witnesses  were  "dragged  away  from  the  bar  [of  the  As- 
sembly] in  the  midst  of  their  angry  declamations,"  and 
silenced  by  the  same  keen-edged  guillotine  that  had  slain 
its  thousands  with  their  approval.  Having  now  "piti- 
lessly trampled  down  all  opposition"  among  his  companion 
terrorists,  "Eobespierre  reigned  for  a  brief  period  in  sole 
and  undisputed  despotism."  In  June,  at  the  great  "Fete 
de  I'Etre  Supreme,"  he  acted  the  grand  high  priest,  in 
open  mocking  blasphem}^  before  the  assembled  thousands! 
but  in  July  "the  triumvirate,"  Robespierre,  Couthon  and 
St.  Just,  with  the  "ferocious  Henriot,"  were  seized  and 
put  under  the  awful  knife.  And,  as  if  the  heavens  would 
laugh  at  this  summary  vengeance,  the  historian  recounts 
that  "insults,  maledictions,  and  brutal  exultations  ac- 
companied them  to  the  guillotine;  and  as  the  head  of 
Robespierre  rolled  off  the  scaffold,  the  vast  crowd  broke 
into  a  loud,  unanimous  and  prolonged  chorus  of  acclama- 
tion."    See  Studenfs  France,  pp.  566-575. 

Thus  closed  the  Reign  of  Terror — prophetically  terrible 
to  the  maddened,  impious  terrorists  themselves — godless 
haters  and  slayers  of  Jesus'  two  witnesses.  They  "must 
in  this  manner  be  killed" — how  quickly  the  merited  retri- 
bution came.  As  one  faction  after  another,  by  fortune  or 
by  conspiracy,  came  to  power  they  furiously  cut  off  the 


3l8  DIVINE  KEY  OP  THE  REVEI^ATION.        [part  v. 

heads  of  their  predecessors  in  blasphemy  and  butchery, 
and,  in  their  turn,  cravenly  laid  down  their  own  necks  to 
their  swift  successors  in  sacrilege  and  slaughter. 

"And  after  three  days  and  a  half  the  spirit  of 
hfe  from  God  entered  into  them,  and  they  stood 
upon  their  feet ;  and  great  fear  fell  upon  them  that 
saw  them." — God's  two  witnesses  were  not  dead  beyond 
revival  like  their  guillotined  adversaries,  even  in  France, 
for  God  had  both  determined  and  predicted  their  revival; 
nor  were  they  to  remain  in  robes  of  sackcloth  longer. 
Three  and  one-half  years  from  1791  (allowing  the  war 
which  the  dragon  made  on  them  before  the  killing  was 
reached,  to  have  continued  to  the  close  of  that  year)  bring 
us  to  the  middle  of  1795.  Accordingly,  in  April  of  1795,. 
Mr.  Eowan  says, — 

"The  Convention  decreed  that  all  individuals  who  had  con- 
tributed to  'the  vast  tyranny  abolished  on  the 
Rowan  Qth      Thermidor      (27th    July,      1794 -namely, 

"Writes.  Robespierre's  survivors)   should  be  disarmed; 

that  the  National  Guard  should  be  reorganized 
on  the  basis  of  '89;  that  all  families,  whose  property  had  been 
confiscated  for  any  other  cause  than  emigration  should  be  re- 
instated in  their  rights;  that  religiom  loorsMp  should  be  per-, 
formed  in  the  edifices  designed  for  that  purpose;  that  the  revo- 
lutionary tribunals  should  be  definitely  suppressed;  and,  lastly, 
that  a  commission  of  eleven  members,  all  Girondins,  should 
occupy  itself  with  the  framing  of  a  new  constitution.  This 
last  blow  was  most  severely  felt  by  the  Jacobines,-  and  to  all 
their  other  accusations  against  the  Convention  they  now  added 
that  of  apostasy."— ffis^.  French  Revo.,  Vol.  II.,  p.  172. 

Surely,  when  their  adversaries  apostatize,  the  wit- 
nesses may  revive.  The  dragon  was  now  satiated  with 
blood,  dizzy  from  the  heights  of  his  revelry  and  blas- 
phemies, and  staggering  from  the  enormity  of  his  crimes. 
Said  a  journal  of  the  time,  the  Eclair: — ■ 


CHAP.  XXII.]        REVIVAL  OF  THE  TWO  WITNESSES.  319 

"We  are  the  only  people  in  the  world  who  ever  attempted 
to  do  without  religion.     But  what  is  already 
The  our   sad    experience?     Every    tenth    day    [the 

Eclair'8  recreation-day  which  the  infidels  chose  to  dis- 

Words.  place  the  Christian  rest-day]  we  are  astounded 

by  the  recital  of  more  crimes  and  -assassina- 
tions than  were  committed  formerly  in  a  whole  year.  At  the 
risk  of  speaking  an  obsolete  laguage,  and  of  receiving  insult  for 
response,  we  declare  that  we  must  cease  striving  to  destroy 
the  remnants  of  religion  if  we  desire  to  prevent  the  entire 
dissolution  of  society."     (Quoted  by  Pressense.) 

This  is  an  illustration  of  what  man  is,  or  what  men 
would  become  if  left  to  themselves,  without  the  influences 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  or  about  them.  Their  whole 
course,  inevitably,  would  be  an  evolution  downward  and 
bruteward  instead  of  Godward  or  upward.  Mr.  Alison 
bears  this  testimony: — 

"Everywhere  the  churches  during  the  reign  of  terror  were 
closed,  the  professors  of  religion  dispossessed, 
Alison's  and  their  rights  overturned;  and  the  first  steps 

Testimony.  toward   the   restoration   of  a   regular   govern- 

ment were  the  restoration  of  the  temples,  which 
the  whirlwind  of  anarchy  had  destroyed,  and  the  revival  of  the 
faith,  which  its  fury  had  extinguished."— ^ts*.  Europe,  Vol. 
I.,  p.  31. 

The  three  days  and  a  half  would  represent,  in  this 
prophecy,  three  years  and  a  half,  and  would  reach  from 
the  close  of  1791  to  the  middle  of  1795,  before  the  new 
life  would  be  infused  into  the  witnesses.  Mr.  Henry  Kett, 
B.D.,  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Oxford, 
Dr.  Kett  Wrote,  j^  his  history  says,  "On  the  28th  of  May, 
1795,  the  Convention  passed  a  decree  for 
the  freedom  of  religious  worship.  On  the  2/th  of  June, 
same  year,  the  churches  of  Paris  zvere  opened,  and  services 
performed  with  great  ceremony.     This  appearance  of  tol- 


320  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.        [part  V. 

eration  in  the  government  diffused  general  satisfaction." 
Eowan  also  says,  "the  Convention  proclaimed  liberty  to  all 
religious  creeds." 

This  was  a  most  remarkable  coincidence,  if  it  was  not 
a  divine  fulfillment.  Who  can  doubt  which  it  was?  The 
"restoration  of  a  regular  government"  was  by  means  of 
the  new  constitution,  which  was  adopted,  Pressense  says, 
"August  17th,  1795;"  but  that  was  preceded  by  the  "re- 

vival  of  the  faith,"  which  had  been  "ex- 
Gregrory  and  tinguishcd."  For,  about  the  beginning  of 
D^Aneriafi.  -j-j^e  year,  two  noble  and  zealous  patriots, 

one  a  Christian,  but  the  other  still  in  the 
mazes  of  infidelity,  plead  with  burning  eloquence,  at  the 
bar  of  the  Assembly,  for  a  complete  liberty  of  conscience — 
Gregory,  Bishop  of  Blois,  and  Boissy  D'Anglas.  Ko  doubt 
there  was  a  providential  moving  of  the  patriotic  heart,  and 
the  courage  and  eloquence  of  D'Anglas,  who,  as  a  skeptic, 
could  be  of  so  much  service  in  a  nation  so  degenerated, 
to  the  lone  and  despised  voice  of  a  Christian  bishop.  Their 
discussions  brought  out  a  decree  of  the  Assembly  (Feb.  21) 
that  "the  exercise  of  ito  worship  should  be  disturbed;"  and 
this  decree,  as  Pressense  says,  "allowed  religion  to  spring 
up  anew  on  the  tormented  soil  of  France.  Under  its 
favor  all  branches  of  the  church  were  allowed  everywhere 
to  celebrate  their  worship."  Another  decree  was  secured 
"on  the  1st  of  May,  1795,"  by  which,  "in  the  short  debate 
which  thereupon  ensued,  the  cause  of  religious  liberty 
triumphed,  and  the  law  of  February  21st  received  the  most 
happy  extension."  (See  Relig.  and  Reign  of  Terr.,  pp. 
259-266.) 


CHAP.  XXII.]         REVIVAL  OF  THE  TWO  WITNESSES.         32 1 

"The  new  constitution,"  continues  Pressense,  "was  the  work 
of  the  moderate  party,  and  was  presented  in 
Character  the   Convention  by   Boissy  d'Anglas.     It  was 

o«  the  New  easy  to   see  that   three  years   of   contest   had 

Constitution.  overturned  many  a  revolutionary  prejudice.  .  . 
As  to  religious  liberty,  the  new  constitution 
asserted  the  great  principles  which  had  triumphed  in  the  Con- 
vention after  the  fall  of  Robespierre.  It  contained  the  words, 
'Every  one  is  free  in  the  exercise  of  his  worship.'  The  words, 
'The  RepuMic  salaries  no  worship,'  consecrated  one  of  the  most 
precious  and  most  dearly  bought  of  the  conquests  of  revolution. 
....  Worship  had  been  revived  throughout  the  land,  and  it 
was  easy  to  see  how  indestructible  is  the  religious  sentiment." — 
lb.,  pp.  268-275. 

The  worst  of  the  scoffing  infidels  had  bit  the  dust  in 
their  own  fight,  and  the  witnesses  for  God  revived,  and  the 
work  of  God  resumed. 

"  If  Heaven  send  no  supplies, 
The  fairest  blossom  of  the  garden  dies." 

—  Wm.  Browne. 

But— 

"  Behind  the  dim  unknown, 
Standeth  God  within  the  shadow,  keeping 
watch  above  His  own." — Lowell. 

"And  pleas'd  th'  Almighty's  orders  to  perform, 
Rides  in  the  whirlwind  and  directs  the  storm." 

— Addison. 

Pressense  gives  this  glorious  summing  as  the  Unale  of 
the  brief  dragonic  victory  over  the  two  witnesses,  to  the 
honor  of  our  prophecy,  faithful  to  history,  and  to  the 
shame  of  those  who  will  not  believe  the  one,  and  cannot 
deny  the  other.  It  is  one  of  the  brightest  pages  of  history. 
Hear  what  his  graphic  pen  records: — 

"Scarcely  had  any  degree  of  liberty  been  allowed  when 
Gregory  convoked  at  Paris,  May  15th,  1795, 
The  Church  a  number  of  bishops.  These  men  in  union 
Sprlng^ingr  out  published  two  encyclical  letters,  designed  to 
of  the  Dust.  obviate  various  disorders,  set  aside  the  un- 
worthy [apostate]  priests,  and  provisionally 
organize  the  church.  In  one  of  the  letters  these  pious  bishops 
say,  'Let  those  to  whom  God  has  given  grace  to  remain  faithful 


322  DIVINE  KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  v. 

in  the  midst  of  the  terrors  of  death,  rejoice  to  have  been  worthy 
to  suffer  something  for  Jesus  Christ.  We  bishops  especially, 
pastors  of  souls,  are  responsible  to  God,  to  the  Church  and  to 
posterity  for  our  efforts  to  revive  the  faith.'  Elsewhere  in  this 
document,  which  is  worthy  of  the  first  ages  of  the  Church,  we 
read,  'Let  the  pastors  show  their  zeal  to  proclaim  Christ;  let 
them  exhort  the  faithful  to  a  careful  study  of  the  New  Testament; 
let  them  by  their  conduct  render  their  ministry  respected.'  The 
bishops  caused  to  be  translated  the  fine  treatise  of  St.  Cyprian, 
De  Lapsis,  which  seemed  to  have  been  written  for  the  exigencies 
of  that  very  time.  Multitudes  of  answers  were  sent  to  the 
circulars,  and  the  faithful  bishops  and  priests  joined  hands  in 
the  work  of  raising  up  the  Church.  A  journal  for  mutual  com- 
munication was  established,  and  Gregory  conceived  the  happy 
thought  of  establishing  a  society  of  Christian  philosophy  for 
the  purpose  of  circulating  works  in  defense  of  religion.  In 
most  of  the  cities  the  people  flocked  to  the  services  with  un- 
precedented ardor.  The  temples  did  not  suffice  to  contain  them. 
There  seemed  to  be  a  desire  to  prolong  indefinitely  the  acts 
of  devotion,  and  tears  filled  the  eyes  of  all.  At  Lens  all  labor 
ceased,  and  the  church  of  St.  Peter  was  crowded  with  prostrate 
penitents  bewailing  their  past  unfaithfulness.  One  could  have 
witnessed  scenes  as  full  of  pathos  as  those  which  took  place  at 
Jerusalem  when  the  Jews,  on  returning  from  exile,  were  able 
again  to  worship  the  God  of  their  fathers  in  their  own 
land.  The  bishops,  by  their  circulars,  favored  and  directed  the 
good  movement.  'Having  no  longer  any  political  connections,' 
so  wrote  Gregory  to  his  colleagues,  'you  will  not  be  tempted  to 
stay  yourselves  on  the  arm  of  flesh.  God  alone  will  be  your 
strength.  The  splendor  of  the  precious  metals  will  no  longer 
confound  with  true  piety  that  which  too  often  was  only  its 
poison.  Let  religion  revive  among  us;  let  it  revive  pure  as  it 
came  from  the  hands  of  Christ.  We  are  placed  as  it  were 
again  at  the  origin  of  the  Church.'  'We  declare,'  wrote  Bishop 
Lecos,  'that  being  subjects  of  a  kingdom  not  of  this  world, 
we  iDill  not  dispute  for  temporal  interests.  Christianity  does  not 
meddle  with  governments;  it  conflicts  with  none,  and  lives  peaceably 
under  all.'  This  was  the  spirit  that  animated  the  constitutional 
Church  as  revived  by  Gregory  and  his  colleagues." — lb.,  pp. 
305-307. 

It  was  truly  the  ''spirit  of  life  from  God"  that  had 
entered  into  the  witnesses  anew,  and  they  were  exerting 
their  old-time  influence  upon  the  minds  of  men  again; 


CHAP.  XXII.]     REVIVAI.  OF  THE  TWO  WITNESSES. 


323 


else  no  such  remarkable  change  could  have  so  suddenly 
come  over  the  whole  attitude  of  a  people  towards  God,  the 
Bible  and  religion.  And  the  value  of  the  Bible  and  re- 
ligion to  men  and  nations,  as  promoters  of  present  peace, 
general  welfare,  good  order,  collective  and  individual  hap- 
piness, as  well  as  hope  for  the  eternal  future,  is  most  mani- 
fest and  unmistakable.  In  confirmation  of  the  dates,  I 
will  yet  add  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Henry  Kett,  who  wrote 
his  history  at  the  time  and  says  (about  p.  220): — 

"On  the  28th  of  May,  1795,  the  Convention  passed  a  decree 
for  the  freedom  of  religious  worship.  On  the  27th  of  June, 
same  year,  the  churches  of  Paris  were  opened,  and  services  per- 
formed with  ceremony.  This  appearance  of  toleration  in  the 
government  diffused  general  satisfaction." 

The  dates  and  periods  thus  established  by  historians 
of  the  time,  may  be  summarized  in  the  following  diagram; 
and  it  would  seem  incredible  that  so  many  points  in  proph- 
ecy and  history  could  be  found  so  completely  harmonized, 
in  so  many  details,  in  a  ivrong  arrangement. 

DIAGRAM  OF  THE  LEOPARD,  DRAGON,  AND  TWO  WITNESSES  PERIODS. 


15  29      SARUIS.     17  89         PHILADELPHIA. 


GREEK 
EMPIRE. 


The  beast  like  a  Leopard  makes  war 
on  the  Saints  1260  years. 


'Judgment"  Destroys 
His  Dominion. 


OLD  PAGAN 
ROME. 


The  Great  Red  Dragon 


Out"   I     "Bound"  1000  years; 


=    Ten  Horns, 
s    One  Hour. 

'  Loosed  a  Season." 


OLD  AND  NEW 
TESTAMENTS. 


The 


Two  Witnesses  "in  sack-;  i>k'g'n     hh.         ^„„ 

■       KILLS      TKARS.  i      .soekn 

Cloth"  1260  years.        :    them.  I  ■>"->•  I  to^d 


Deo.   17  91  ton  95-Juiie. 


*  This  date  and  the  hinding  will  be  established  in  history  when  we  reach 
chapter  xx. 


324  DIVINB  KKY  OP  THB  REVELATION.        [part  V, 

"And  they  heard  a  great  voice  from  heaven 
saying  unto  them,  Come  up  hither.  And  they  as- 
cended up  to  heaven  in  a  cloud ;  and  their  ene- 
mies beheld  them." — They  were  called  out  of  the  dust 
to  a  very  exalted  position  in  the  world.  Jesus  used  the 
same  figure,  in  a  reversed  order,  saying,  "And  thou,  Caper- 
naum, which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt  be  brought 
dozvn  to  hades" — to  destruction  in  death.  (Matt.  xi.  33; 
Isa.  xiv.  11-15;  Lam.  ii.  1;  compare  iv.  6.)  The  spirit  of 
life  from  God  having  revived  the  two  witnesses,  it  also 
reacted  upon  the  Lord's  people,  not  only  in  France,  as 
testified  by  Pressense,  but  throughout  the  world;  and  in 
a  very  few  years  Bible  societies  for  the  translation  of  the 
Bible  into  all  languages  and  dialects,  and  for  its  cheap 
publication,  and  extensive  dissemination  in  all  lands,  were 
formed  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  Tlius,  after  nearly 
thirteen  centuries  of  contumelious  sackcloth,  and  three  and 
one-half  years  of  being  dragged  in  the  streets,  and  trodden 
in  the  very  mire,  the  dawn  of  the  ninteenth  century  opened 
a  new  and  glorious  era  for  the  Word  of  God,  and  clothed 
it  with  garments  of  praise  and  beauty. 

The  nations,  true  to  prophecy,  refused  to  allow  the 
desecrations   of   revolutionary  France  to 
Origin  o£  g^  qj^  uurebukcd,  as  we  have  seen.     But, 

Bible  Societies,  further,  a  great  reformatory  work  im- 
mediately began  which  was  to  shed  an  in- 
fluence over  the  nations  in  sight  of  their  enemies.  An 
"Association  for  Discountenancing  Vice,  and  Promoting 
the  Knowledge  and  Practice  of  tlie  Cliristian  Religion,'' 
was  established  in  Dublin  in  1792 — when  infidelity  in 
France  was  in  the  high  tide  of  its  brief  triumph,  and  shock- 
ing the  nations  with  its  awful  blasphemies.  Also  "a  French 
Bible  society  was  founded  in  London,  in  the  same  year 
(1793),  for  publishing  the  Bible  in  French;"  and,  to  the 


CHAP.  XXII.]  ASCENSION  OF  THE  WITNESSES.  325 

glory  of  God  be  it  said,  "an  edition  of  the  New  Testament 
was  published  in  Paris,  in  1802,  by  another  English  so- 
ciety!" In  London,  in  1802,  "Joseph  Hughes  had  given 
utterance  to  the  idea  of  a  Bible  society  for  the  world," 
which  was  well  received;  and  steps  were  immediately  taken 
"to  awaken  interest,  and  find  out  the  extent  of  destitution 
at  home  and  abroad."  Three  hundred  persons,  of  all  de- 
nominations, attended  its  first  meeting,  March  7,  1794. 
It  took  the  name  of  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society; 
and  its  total  issues  to  1881  were  91,014,448  copies.  "When, 
in  1806,  the  first  wagonful  of  Bibles  came  into  Wales,  it 
was  received  like  the  ark  of  the  covenant;  and  the  people, 
with  shouts  of  great  joy,  drew  it  into  the  city." 

The  Nuremberg  Bible  Society  was  organized  May  10, 
1804,  for  supplying  Austria  and  Germany, 
Multiplied  qj^^  received  the  stereotype  plates  of  the 

Societies.  German  Bible  from  the  British  and  For- 

eign Society.  In  1880  it  had  issued  684.- 
313  copies.  The  Ratisbon  Society  was  formed  in  1805, 
changed  to  the  Berlin  Bible  Society  in  1806,  and  in  1880 
had  issued  4,661,796  copies.  The  American  Bible  Society 
was  organized  in  Philadelphia  in  1808,  and  in  1880  had 
issued  38,882,811  copies.  Following  this  society,  says  the 
secretary,  "the  idea  was  quickly  taken  up  everywhere;  so 
that,  in  June,  1816,  a  hundred  and  twenty-eight  Bible 
societies  were  reported!"  A  society  was  formed  in  Hun- 
gary in  1811,  and  "others  in  Hanover,  Saxony,  and  the 
smaller  German  States  followed;"  that  at  Wurtemberg, 
formed  in  1813,  one  of  the  most  flourishing,  reports  a 
total  issue,  in  1880,  of  1,463,801  copies. 

"Steinkopf's  tour  through  Switzerland,  in  1812,  awoke 
great  enthusiasm;  and  Bible  societies  sprang  up  every- 
where."    The  Russian,  1813;  Swedish,  1814-1880,  920,747 


326  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI«ATlON.         [part  v. 

copies;  Danish,  1814-1876,  346,026  copies;  Iceland,  1815- 
— ,  10,445  copies;  United  Netherlands,  1815-1878,  1,386,- 
180  copies;  Norway,  1816-1880,  248,924  copies;  Protestant 
Bible  Society,  of  Paris,  1818-1880,  624,488  copies;  Malta, 
1817;  Zona,  1819,  7,377  copies;  Calcutta,  1811-1880,  1,706,- 
615  copies;  Bombay,  1813-1880,  444,675  copies;  Madras, 
1820-1880,  2,871,792  copies;  the  Evangelical  Bible  Society 
in  Eussia,  1831-1880,  945,683  copies;  another  in  Eussia, 
by  imperial  sanction,  1869-1881,  668,103  copies;  and  the 
Bible  Society  of  France,  1864-1877,  267,047  copies.  See 
Scha-ff-Herzog  Ency.  Relig.  KnoivL;  Ency.  Britan. 

What  a  change  for  the  Bible — ^for  the  two  witnesses! 

What  a  glorious  triumph  for  eighty  years' 
A  Giorions  work  !     Nearly  one  hundred  and  thirty 

Triumpii.  million  copies  by  the  British  and  Foreign 

and  American  societies  alone;  and  over 
one  hundred  and  forty-six  million  copies,  all  told,  up  to 
1880  and  1881!  But  that  was  fifteen  years  ago;  no  doubt, 
present  statistics  will  pass  150,000,000  copies!!  From  the 
rarest  and  costliest  of  books  it  rose,  in  half  a  century,  to 
be  the  cheapest  and  \he  commonest  of  any  book  in  use  in 
the  world.  Surely,  a  heavenly  "voice"  had  bidden  it 
thither,  or  no  such  eminence  could  have  been  attained  in 
ten  half-centuries.  Its  position  in  the  world  is  now  beyond 
the  reach  of  its  enemies,  who  are  obliged  to  behold  it  rising 
still,  and,  like  a  cloud  of  glory,  spreading  over  the  earth. 
"And  the  same  hour  was  there  a  great  earth- 
quake, and  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell." — One 
hour  of  prophetic  time — "a  day  for  a  year" — would  be  15 
days  of  literal  time.  But  it  does  not  appear  a  definite 
symbolic  period  is  intended  here,  since  no  such  period  is 
elsewhere  described.  Like  the  "hour  of  temptation"  that 
came  "upon  all  the  world"  to  try  them,  it  represents  a 


CHAP.  XXII.]        A  TENTH  PART  OF  THE  CITY   FEI<I..        327 

comparatively,  not  a  definitely,  short  space  of  time.  An 
earthquake  is  a  shaking  of  the  earth  in  the  struggle  for 
release  of  pent-up  forces,  at  which  time  anything  built 
upon  the  earth  is  liable  to  have  its  foundations  destroyed. 
The  great  apostate  church,  called  Catholic,  had  forsaken 
the  solid  rock,  Christ,  and  had  built  Great  Babylon  on  the 
sandy  soil  of  the  Eoman  earth.  France  was  a  "tenth  part" 
of  the  territory;  and  during  the  Eevolution  was  rocked 
and  tossed  like  a  fragile  ship  in  a  furious  storm.  Tre- 
mendous forces,  imprisoned  there  for  "a  thousand  years," 
were  struggling  now  for  liberty,  and  shaking  all  dependent 
foundations.  The  reader  will  recall  an  extract  from  La- 
martine,  quoted  on  page  230,  showing  how  throne  and 
altar  fell.  Church  and  State  in  France — a  tenth  part  of 
the  great  Eoman  "beast"  or  "city" — were  overthrown,  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  the  whole  world.  It  was  the  earthquake 
of  the  sixth  seal,  which  we  there  found  was  this  same 
Eevolution,  a  harmony  very  worthy  of  notice. 

Chas.  A.  Goodrich,  the  historian,  writes: — 

"At  the  commencement  of  the  French  revolution  the  clergy 
in   France  were  both  numerous  and  wealthy. 
Goodrich's  They  amounted  to  no  less  than  eighteen  arch- 

statement,  bishops,     one    hundred    and     eleven    bishops 

and  150,000  priests,  having  under  their  con- 
trol a  revenue  of  five  millions  sterling,  annually,  besides 
3,400  wealthy  convents.  The  clergy  and  their  wealth  were 
now  attacked  by  the  infidel  revolutionists,  and  fell  an  easy  prey. 
The  tithes  and  revenues  of  the  clergy  were  taken  away  by  a 
decree  of  the  Constituent  Assembly;  the  possessions  of  the 
Church  were  now  declared  to  be  the  property  of  the  nation; 
the  religious  orders  were  abolished,  the  monks  and  nuns  ejected 
from  their  convents,  and  their  immense  wealth  seized  for  the 
nation.  The  revolutionary  torrent,  which  was  thus  set  in  mo- 
tion, destroyed  law,  government  and  religion  in  France,  and 
laid  waste  the  Roman  Church,  both  there  and  in  neighboring 
countries.     'The  priests  were  massacred,  her  silver,  shrines,  and 


328  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE  REVEI^ATION.         [part  v. 

saints  were  turned  into  money  for  the  payment  of  the  troops, 
her  bells  were  converted  into  cannon,  and  her  churches  and 
convents  into  barracks  for  soldiers.  From  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Adriatic  she  presented  but  one  appalling  spectacle.  She  had 
shed  the  blood  of  saints  and  prophets,  and  God  now  gave  her 
blood  to  drink.'"— flist  of  the  Church,  pp.  183,  184. 

Could  there  be  a  truer  and  more  sadly  perfect  picture 
drawn? — a  tenth  part  of  the  apostate  Eoman  city — one 
whole  Catholic  kingdom — fallen! 

"And  in  the  earthquake  were  slain  of  men 
seven  thousand." — Not  of  "men,"  but  (Greek)  ^^  names 
of  men" — see  margin,  Emphatic  Diaglott,  and  other  critical 
renderings.  The  names  which  were  destroyed  in  the 
Revolution  refer,  doubtless,  to  the  numerous  vain  titles 
which  the  dignitaries  of  the  Church  had  drawn  to  them- 
selves. She  was  following  the  antichrist  now,  and  despis- 
ing the  true  Master's  exhortation  to  call  no  man  on  the 
earth,  father,  rabbi,  or  master  (Matt,  xxiii.  8-13),  and  had 
heaped  to  herself  a  multitude  of  vain  distinctions,  such  as 
Father,  Father  in  God,  Holy  Father,  Eeverend,  Very 
Eeverend,  Eight  Eeverend,  Most  Eeverend,  Doctor,  Car- 
dinal, ArcJihish.0^,  ''Archdeacon,  Monk,  Carmelite,  Au- 
gustinian,  Dominican,  Jacobin,  Franciscan,  Capuchin, 
Jesuite,  Minimite,  etc.,  etc.  All  titles  of  honor  and  nobil- 
ity, as  King  and  Queen,  Prince  and  Princess,  Count  and 
Countess,  Duke  and  Duchess,  etc.,  were  declared  illegal, 
and  the  term  "citizen"  made  the  common  and  only  pre- 
rogative of  all  Frenchmen;  and  not  less  than  a  symbolic 
seven  thousand  of  them  fell.  I  do  not  understand  it  to 
represent  such  a  literal  number,  but  a  perfect  abandon- 
ment of  titles  for  the  time;  which  was  literally  fulfilled. 
Jesus  had  established  in  the  Church  the  apostles  and 
prophets,  and  besides,  gave  "some  evangelists,  and  some 
pastors  and  teachers;"  and  the  apostles,  through  the  Holy 


CHAP.  XXII.]       A  TENTH   PART  OF  THE  CITY   FELI..         329 

Spirit,  established  the  offices  of  bishop*  and  deacon;  but 
the  Church,  like  Capernaum,  were  soon  "exalted  unto 
heaven,"  as  Reverend  Archdeacons,  and  Most  Reverend 
Archhisho-ps,  etc.  They  were  not  satisfied  to  hold  legiti- 
mate and  humble  offices  for  such  labor  and  sacrifices  for 
the  Church  as  their  names  suggested,  but  sought  to  elevate 
the  offices  as  a  means  of  elevating  themselves  in  the  sight 
of  men.  And  to  such  an  extent  was  this  carried  that  God 
used  the  outraged  moral  sense  of  the  infidel  French  As- 
sembly to  rebuke  the  carnal  sensuality  of  the  so-called 
Church  of  Christ.  They  fell  for  a  time,  and  for  such  a 
rebuke,  yet  we  are  not  told  that  they  repented  or  gave 
God  the  glory.     But — 

"  The  remnant  were  affrighted,  and  gave  glory 
.to  the  God  of  heaven." — Men  are  so  obstinate  in  their 
desires,  and  methods  to  satisfy  them,  that  the  masses  are 
not  profited  by  reproof  and  chastisement;  only  a  remnant 
are  so  "exercised  thereby"  as  to  bring  forth  the  "peace- 
able fruit  of  righteousness"  afterward.  The  history  that 
has  been  cited  of  the  work  and  teachings  of  Gregory  and 
his  co-laborers,  so  far  as  the  same  departed  from  the  old 
ways  of  Jezebel's  children,  abundantly  illustrates  such  a 
startling  of  the  remnant  to  think  of  reforming  the  Church 
and  glorifying  God. 

"The  second  woe  is  past;  and  behold,  the 
third  woe  cometh  quickly." — The  second  woe  (which 
is  met  only  incidentally  here,  which  was  inflicted  under 
the  sixth  trumpet,  and  is  directly  connected  with  that 
history— chapter  viii.  13)  was  ended,  then,  with  the  revival 
of  the  witnesses,  in  1795.  Let  us  not  forget  this  when  we 
reach  that  part  of  our  exposition.     The  woes,  of  which 

*0r  elder,  see  1  Tim.  iii.  1,2;  Tit.  i.  5-7. 


330  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI.ATION.        [PART  v. 

there  are  three,  are  directly  connected  with  the  last  three 
trumpets,  which  we  will  soon  consider.  There  is,  of 
course,  from  this  point  but  one  woe  or  trumpet  more;  and 
that  to  sound  "quickly"  thereafter.  How  quickly?  We 
may  answer  without  presumption,  perhaps,  Just  as  soon  as 
the  din,  and  confusion,  and  terror,  of  the  great  revolution- 
ary earthquake  shall  sufficiently  subside  to  allow  men  to 
contemplate  its  results,  and  discover  what  is  lost,  and 
what  is  left.     (See  "quickly"  on  the  chart.) 

It  had  been  a  "woe"  upon  the  papacy.  Under  the 
sixth  trumpet,  with  which  this  second  woe  is  connected, 
Mohammedanism  was  the  scourge  which  God  used  to 
destroy  the  prestige,  power  and  life  of  Eome.  Its  bluster 
and  success  almost  throughout  the  empire  revived  the  spirit 
of  paganism  in  France,  which  had  been  "cast  out,"  as  we 
shall  find  when  we  reach  the  12th  chapter,  and  "bound," 
when  we  reach  the  20th  chapter.  (See  a  reference,  also, 
on  page  307.)  If  Eome  could  have  contended  with  Islam- 
ism,  it  could  have  resisted  still  the  struggles  of  paganism, 
and  held  it  in  chains.  But  the  beast  had  broken  his 
"chain,"  according  t(\  the  divine  arrangement — Moslemism 
meriting  his  thanks.  In  consequence,  the  judgment  of 
Dan.  vii.  26  had  now  dethroned  the  man  of  sin;  but  what 
was  loss  to  the  pope,  was  gain  to  the  Church.  If  the 
papacy  had  lost  its  prestige  and  power,  the  witnesses  had 
gained  the  loss  of  their  sackcloth,  or  its  exchange  for  robes 
of  light.  If  the  beast  had  lost  his  dominion,  it  had  re- 
verted to  Christ,  in  whose  name  the  "saints  of  the  most 
High"  had  taken  it  (Dan.  vii.  18,  26,  27;  Eev.  xi.  17,  18). 
For  the  kingdom  of  God  cannot  be  lost — it  is  ever  God's, 
and  everlasting,  age  in  and  age  out  the  same,  whatever 
changes  in  its  temporal  administration,  and  whoever  may 


CHAP.  XXII.]      A  TKNTH   PART   OF  THE   CITY   FELL.  331 

lose  delegated  dominion;  for  He  giveth  it,  from  time  to 
time,  to  whomsoever  He  will.* 

There  are  five  verses  remaining  in  this  chapter,  but 
they  belong  to  the  seventh  trumpet;  and  we  must  now  re- 
turn to  chapters  viii.  and  ix.,  and  bring  up  the  six  pre- 
ceding trumpets  before  we  can  proceed  with  them. 


*  Compare  Psa.  cxiv.  1,  2 ;  1  Chron.  xvii.  11-14  ;  xxix  11, 12,  23  ;  Dan.  iv  17, 
25,  34,  35;  Ezc.  xxi.  25-27;  Psa.  Ixxxix.  1-4,  26-29,  36,  37  ;  Mic.  iv.  8,  eic.  The 
"first  dominion,"  after  several  " overturnings,"  came  at  length  to  Christ  (Lu.  i. 
31-33)  when  He  rose  from  the  dead  and  from  the  earth  to  sit  on  the  throne  of  God 
as  son  of  David  and  heir  of  David's  throne.  (Psa.  ex.  1-6 ;  Zech.  vi.  12,  13  ) 
Jesus  had  first  put  the  Apostolic  Church  in  power  (Lu.  xxii.  28-30  ;  Matt.  xvi.  19 ; 
xviii.  17, 18):  but  when  the  Church  apostatized  "times  and  laws"  were  given 
over  to  the  beast  (Dan  vii.  25,  26)  for  a  limited  period.  When  that  time  expired 
in  1795,  there  certainly  was  a  reversion  in  ftivor  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  ; 
for  since  that  time  religious  toleration  and  the  Bible  have  been  increasing  in 
state  and  public  favor  throughout  the  world. 


PART    SIXTH. 


SOUNDING  OF  THE  FIEST  FOUR  OF  THE  SEVEN 

TEUMPETS. 

EMBRACING    JUDGMENTS    COVERING    THE    FIRST 

SIX  CENTURIES  OF  THE  GOSPEL  AGE. 

"Fire  of  the  Altar  Cast  into  the  Earth." 
CHAPTER  XXIII. 

INTRODUCTORY   TO   THE   SEVEN   TRUMPETS— 

THE  ANGEL  OF  INCENSE  FILLS  HIS 

CENSER  WITH  FIRE. 

MISSION   OF  THE   FORERUNNER   OF   CHRIST. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

I.  THE  FIRST  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— HAIL  AND 

FIRE  CAST  UPON  THE  EARTH. 

BOTH    TRUTH    AND    JUDGMENT    DESCEND    UPON 
ISRAEL   AND   THE   GENTILES. 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

II.  THE  SECOND  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— A  BURN- 

ING MOUNTAIN  CAST  INTO  THE  SEA. 

MOUNT  ZION,  THE  KINGDOM  OF  LITERAL  ISRAEL, 
CAST  OFF  AMONG  THE  NATIONS. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

III.  THE     THIRD     TRUMPET     SOUNDED— THE 
STAR,  WORMWOOD,  FALLS  UPON  RIVERS 

AND  FOUNTAINS. 

THE    NICENE    COUNCIL    AND     CREED     FILL    THE 
CHURCH    WITH    SMOKE    AND    PAGAN    PEO- 
PLES    AND     PROVINCES     WITH     THE 
SPIRIT  OF  ERROR  AND  STRIFE. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

IV.  THE    FOURTH    TRUMPET    SOUNDED— THE 
SUN,  MOON,  AND  STARS  DARKENED. 

THE  OLD  AND  NEW  TESTAMENTS,  AND  THE  MIN- 
ISTRY,   SHROUDED    IN    A    DARK   VEIL    OF 
TRADITION. 


PART   SIXTH. 


CHAPTEE  XXIII. 

INTEODUCTORY    TO    THE    SOUNDING    OF    THE 
SEVEN  TEUMPETS. 

THE  ANGEL  OF  INCENSE   FILLS  HIS   CENSER  WITH   FIRE — 
MISSION    OF   THE    FORERUNNER    OF    CHRIST. 

Text,  Chapter  viii.   2-6. 

2.  And  I  saw  the  seven  angels  that  stood  before  God;  and 
to  them  were  given  seven  trumpets. 

3.  And  another  angel  came  and  stood  at 

Joiin  the  the  altar,   having  a  golden  censer;   and  there 

Baptist.  -^yas    given    unto    him    much    incense,    that  he 

should  offer  it  with  the  prayers   of  all   saints 

upon  the  golden  altar  which  was  before  the  throne. 

4.  And  the  smoke  of  the  incense,  wMcli  came  with  the 
prayers  of  the  saints,  ascended  up  before  God  out  of  the  angel's 
hand. 

5.  And  the  angel  took  the  censer,  and  filled  it  with  fire 
of  the  altar,  and  cast  it  into  the  earth:  and  there  were  voices, 
and  thunderings,  and  lightnings,  and  an  earthquake. 

6.  And  the  seven  angels  that  had  the  seven  trumpets  pre- 
pared themselves  to  sound. 

IN  this  vision,  John  first  sees  the  seven  angels  that  stand 
before  God  receiving  the  seven  trumpets.  Then  ap- 
pears an  eighth  angel,  whose  ministry  was  at  the 
altar  in  the  tabernacle,  and  was  introductory  to  the 
ministry  of  the  seven  that  had  the  trumpets.  The  first 
scene  is,  therefore,  laid  symholically  close  ahont  the  taber- 
nacle, and  relates  particularly  to  the  only  nation  that  ever 

335 


336  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION.       [part  VI. 

had  siicli  a  recognized  service — Israel.  And  since  nearly 
all  the  symhols  of  Kevelation  are  based  on  Bible  history, 
the  standing  before  God  of  these  seven  angels  doubtless 
has  reference  to  the  history  of  the  calling  of  Moses'  seventy 
assistant  elders  about  the  tabernacle  before  God,  as  noted 
in  Numbers  xi.  16,  17,  24,  35. 

The  seven  trumpets  form  a  third  series  of  events 
similar  to  those  of  the  churches  and  seals:  each  of  these 
series  goes  over  the  entire  Gospel  age,  from  Advent  to 
Advent;  and  this  introductory  scene  of  the  eighth  angers 
ministry  is  evidently  symbolic  of  the  work  of  John  the 
Baptist,  as  forerunner  of  Christ,  whose  ministry  spans  the 
age  in  seven  subdivisions  of  its  time.  This  angel  is  at  the 
altar  of  incense,  the  sweet  odors  of  which  were  typical  of 
prayer,  and  offers  much  incense  with  the  prayers  of  all 
saints.  What  had  been  the  prayer  of  all  saints  from  Abel 
to  the  last  priest  before  Christ?  Was  there  not  one  desire 
of  the  Churcli  of  God?  and  was  that  not  for  the  coming 
of  the  Seed,  promised  to  our  first  parents  in  Eden? 

ISTotice,  1.  In  the  figure,  after  the  incense  had  risen 
from  the   angel's  hand,   he   signifies   the 
Fire  o£  the         close  of  that  ministry  by  taking  fire  from 
Altar  Cast  into    ^|^g    altar — wliicli    had    consistently    and 
the  Eartii.  legally  bumed  there  from  Abel's  kindling 

it — and  cast  it  into  the  earth,  as  Jesus 
seut  the  Apostles  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  fire  to  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth.  2.  The  law  and  tlie  i^rophets  were 
until  John;  since  that  time,  the  '"kingdom  of  heaven  is 
ju'eached"'  (Luke  xvi.  16).  What  happened  next,  con- 
sidered from  either  of  these  standpoints?  Great  conten- 
tion in  the  symbolic  world:— 

"Voices,  thunderings,  lightnings,  and  an 
earthquake." — (For  an  explanation  gf  these  symbols  see 


CHAP,  xxiir.]        THE  ANGEI.  OF   INCENSE   AND   FIRE.     337 

pages  192,  276.  )  "We  must,  therefore,  expect  to  find  some 
great  and  significant  commotion  in  the  world  at  the  dawn 
of  the  Gospel  age — of  the  "kingdom  of  heaven'^ — and  just 
before  the  sounding  of  the  seven  trumpets  which  were  in 
preparation.  And  Jesus  Himself  taught  that  the  result 
of  tlie  work  which  John  introduced  would  be  "fire/'  a 
"sword/'  and  "division" — father  against  son,  and  mother 
against  daughter,  etc.  (Matt.  x.  34,  35;  Luke  xii.  49-53). 
But  let  Haggai  describe  the  scene  as  he  saw  it  four  hun- 
dred years  before: — 

"For  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Yet  once,  it  is  a  little 
while,  and  I  will  shake  the  heavens,  and  the  earth,  the  sea  and 
the  dry  land;  and  I  will  shake  all  nations,  and  the  DESIRE 
OF  ALL  NATIONS  shall  come;  and  I  will  fill  this  house 
with  glory,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 

"The  silver  is  mine,  and  the  gold  is  mine,  [the  power  to 
execute,]   saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 

"The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be  greater  *  than  the 
former,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts;  and  in  this  place  will  I  give 
PEACE,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."     (Chap.  ii.  6-9.) 

Isaiah  also  beautifully  describes  the  ushering  in  of 
the  Gospel  Era,  as  succeeding  the  law: — 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that  the  moun- 
tain of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the 
mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills;  and  all  nations 
shall  fiow  unto  it.f  ....  For  the  day  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall 
be  upon  every  one  that  is  proud  and  lofty,  and  upon  every  one 
that  is  lifted  up;  and  he  shall  be  brought  low.  .  .  .  And  the 
loftiness  of  man  shall  be  bowed  down,  and  the  haughtiness  of 
man  shall  be  made  low;  and  the  LORD  alone  shall  be 
exalted  in  that  day."     (Chap,  ii.,  2,  12,  17.) 

*  Compare  2  Chron.  i.\.  13,  11,  20-28  for  a  type,— the  temple  succeeding  the 
tabernacle,— an (3  2  Cor.  iii.  13-18  for  a  fulfillmcat— the  Gospel  succeeding  the  law. 

t  See  also  chap.  xl.  9,  on  the  high  mountaiu. 


338  DIVINE  KEY   OF  THE  REVELATION.        [part  vi. 

This  is  an  unmistakable  description  of  the  first  Ad- 
vent, the  exaltation  of  our  Lord,  and  His 
Dawn  of  <iie  manifestation  not  to  Israel  only,  but  to 
Gospel  Age.  ^.j^g  nations  of  the  Gentiles;  and  coupled 
with  it,  in  immediate  connection,  a  word- 
picture  of  the  great  change  wrought — radical  and  com- 
plete: i.  c,  there  is  now  such  a  revelation  of  the  will  of 
God  concerning  man,  in  the  Gospel,  is  the  assumption  or 
foresight  of  the  passage,  such  a  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spii'it,  such  a  quickening  of  the  consciences  of  men,  that 
they  can  no  longer  .retain  their  pet  idols,  neither  can  the 
ignorance  of  former  times  be  longer  "overlooked"*  by 
God;  and  the  contrast  is  so  great — the  new  view  of  God's 
presence  so  vivid  in  the  minds  of  the  prophets — that  they 
represent  the  people  as  hurling  away  their  idols,  which 
they  had  supposed  were  hidden  from  God's  sight,  and 
seeking  to  hide  themselves.  All  this  has  an  antitype  in 
the  symbols  of  the  sixth  seal  (which  see),  where  the  same 
hiding  was  attempted.  Hear  the  prophet,  as  he  con- 
tinues:—  ^ 

"And  they  shall  go  into  the  holes  of  the  rocks,  and  into  the 
caves  of  the  earth,  for  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  glory 
of  His  majesty,  when  he  ariseth  to  shake  terribly  t1i(i  earth. 
[Morally  and  spiritually — with  the  "fire  of  the  altar" — of  course, 
not  literally.]  "In  that  day  a  man  shall  cast  his  idols  of  silver, 
and  his  idols  of  gold,  which  they  have  made  each  one  for  him- 
self to  worship,  to  the  moles,  and  to  the  bats;  to  go  into  the 
clefts  of  the  rocks,  and  into  the  top  of  the  ragged  rocks,  for 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  glory  of  His  majesty,  when  He 
ariseth  [in  Christ]  to  shake  terribly  the  earth."  (lb.,  verses 
19-21.) 


*Not  "winked  at,"  as  in  tlie  common  version.    See  all  other  renderings 01 
Acts  xvii.  30. 


CHAP.  XXIII.]      the;  angei.  of  incense  and  fire.    339 

This  symbolic  or  spiritual  shaking  of  the  earth — 
"earthquake" — the  Kevelator  saw  was  the 
Ministry  of  result  of  the  eighth  angel's  casting  the  fire 
tiie  Baptist.  ^f  ^-^q  Jewisli  altar  abroad  in  the  earth — 
among  all  nations — causing  also  the  sym- 
bolic "voices,  thunderings  and  lightnings."  Let  us  see 
if  all  this  did  not  come  through  the  ministry  of  John  the 
Baptist,  which  resulted  in  introducing  the  fire  of  the 
Gospel  among  all  nations.  What  does  Isaiah  say  of  John's 
ministry?     He  first  refers  to  his  "voice."     Thus:— 

"The  Voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wilderness,  [not  in  the 
temple;  but  out  in  the  "earth"  where  the  fire  was  cast,]  say- 
ing, Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight  in  the  desert 
a  highway  for  our  God  [Immanuel — God  with  us].  Every  valley 
shall  be  exalted,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low; 
and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough  places 
plain.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all 
flesh  [or  all  nations — in  contrast  with  the  one  Hebrew  nation 
hitherto  sought]  shall  see  it  together;  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  had  spoken  it. 

"The  voice  said.  Cry.  And  he  said.  What  shall  I  cry?  All 
flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  goodliness  thereof  is  as  the  fiower  of 
the  field.  .  .  .  O  Zion,  that  bringest  ffood  tidings,  get  thee  up 
into  the  high  mountain  :  O  Jerusalem,  that  bringest  ffood 
tidings,  lift  up  thy  voice  with  strength;  lift  it  up,  be  not  afraid; 
say  unto  the  cities  of  Judah,  Behold  your  God!"  (Isa.  xl.  3-9.) 
The  Psalmist,  also,  seems  clearly  to  refer  to  the  intro- 
duction of  the  same  "good  tidings"  when  he  says: — ■ 

"The  clouds  poured  out  water;  the  skies  sent  out  a  sound; 
Thine  arrows  also  went  abroad.  The  voice  of  Thy  thunder  was 
in  the  heaven;  the  lightning  lightened  the  world;  the  earth 
trembled  and  shook."  (Psa.  Ixxvii.  17,  18.)  Again:  "His  light- 
nings enlightened  the  world;  the  earth  saw  it  and  trembled." 
(xcvii.  4.) 

In  these  and  in  many  other  passages,  we  have  the 
same  symbols  which  the  Revelator  uses  so  freely — voices, 
thunders,  and  lightnings,  and  the  shaking  of  the  earth — 


340  DIVINS  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI.ATION.        [PART  VI. 

describing  the  work  of  the  Baptist  in  introducing  Jesus  to 
the  world.  One  Scripture  thus  explains  another;  and  the 
symbols  of  the  Old  Testament  are  shown  to  be  the  same 
in  the  New.  The  principle  surely  is  right.  The  chronol- 
ogy, therefore,  of  casting  fire  into  the  earth,  and  of  the 
seven  angels  preparing  to  sound  their  judgment  trumpets, 
seems  fixed,  beyond  question,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Gospel  age.  If  anything  were  lacking  in  the  above  cita- 
tions, Zechariah  xiv.  4-9  miolit  well  have  been  added. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

].    THE  EIRST  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— HAIL  AND 

FIRE  CAST  UPON  THE  EARTPI— GRASS 

AND  TREES  BURNT  UP. 

BOTH     TRUTH     AND     JUDGMENT     DESCEND     UPON     ISRAEL 
AND    THE    GENTILES. 

Text,  Chapter  viii.  7. 

7.  The  first  angel  sounded,  and  there  followed  hail  and  fire 

mingled  with  blood,  and  they  were  cast  up- 

From  Ascension,    on  the  earth ;  and  the  third  part  of  trees  was 

A.D. 30,  to  A.iD.  70.  burnt  up,  and  all  green  grass  was  burnt  up. 

^  I    HAT  the  first  trumpet  sounded  with  the  ascension  of 
-^      our  Lord  (as  He  will  return  with  the  sounding  of 
the  seventh)  seeuis  very  evident  from  tlie  Scriptures. 
Said  the  Patriarch  David: — 

"God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout,  the  Lord  with  the  sound  of 
a  trumpet.  Sing  praises  to  God  ['".  f.,  to  "Immanuel" — "God 
with  us" — Matt.  i.  23],  sing  praises;  sing  praises  unto  our 
King,  sing  praises.  For  God  is  King  of  all  the  earth;  sing 
ye  praises  with  understanding." — Psalms  xlvii.  5-7. 

Every  expression  in  the  above  quotation,  and  of  many 
other  similar  passages,  points  to  the  dawn  and  gladness 
of  the  Gospel  day.  Our  Lord  ascended  with  a  shout,  and 
the  sound  of  the  first  trumpet;  and  He  will  return  "with  a 
shout,  and  the  voice  of  the  archangel,"  to  raise  the  dead, 
"at  the  sound  of  the  last  trumpet" — the  seventh.  It  is 
common  with  expositors  to  assign  the  sounding  of  the 
first  trumpet  to  the  fourth    century,  from   the  mistaken 

341 


342  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION.        [part  VI. 

view  that  the  whole  series  relates  to  judgments  upon  the 
Eoman  Empire;  whereas,  only  the  last  three,  which  are 
called  "woe"  trumpets,  are  so  devoted  (see  verse  13).  As 
we  proceed  it  will  be  shown  that  the  first  two  were  judg- 
ments upon  the  apostate  Jewish  Church;  the  third  upon 
paganism ;  the  fourth  upon  the  apostate  Christian  Church, 
and  the  last  three  upon  the  great  apostasy  of  the  whole 
Old  Roman  State-Church  system. 

"And  there  followed  hail  and  fire,  mingled 
with  blood." — Hail,  as  was  said  (page  260),  is  the 
symbol  of  fnifh.     Said  the  prophet,  speaking  of  Jesus, — 

"Behold,  the  Lord  hath  a  mighty  and  strong  One,  who  as 
a  tempest  of  Jiail  and  a  destroying  storm,  as  a  flood  of  mighty 
waters  overflowing,  shall  cast  down  to  the  earth  with  the 
hand.  .  ".  .  Judgment  also  will  I  lay  to  the  line,  and  righteous- 
ness to  the  plummet;  and  the  lioH  shall  sweep  away  the  refuge 
of  lies,  and  the  waters  shall  overflow  the  hiding  place." — Isa. 
xxviii.  2,  17.     See  also  Amos  n.  4,  5. 

Nothing  but  the  truth  can  sweep  away  a  "refuge  of 
lies."  Fire  mingled  with  blood  symbolizes  the  Word  of 
God  in  judgment,  or  the  fatal  effect  of  trifling  with  the 
truth.  Notice  what  ^followed  the  manifestation  of  Jesus 
to  Israel:  He  was  the  very  personification  of  truth,  but 
He  came  to  "send  fire  on  the  earth,"  to  those  who  would 
not  receive  Him;  and,  said  He,  "what  will  I,  if  it  be 
already  kindled?"  (Lu.  xii.  49).  Because  the  Word  of 
God  is  a  fire,  and  He  came  as  the  Word.  God  had  said 
by  Jeremiah: — 

"Because  ye  speak  this  word,  behold,  I  will  make  My  words 
in  thy  mouth  fire,  and  this  people  wood,  and  it  shall  devour 
them"  (chap.  v.  14).  "Is  not  My  word  like  as  a  flre,  saith  the 
Lord;  and  like  a  hammer  that  breaketh  the  rock  in  pieces?" 
(chap,  xxiii.  28,  29). 

And  to  Isaiah  He  said,  speaking  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Gospel  by  our  Lord: — 


CHAP.  XXIV.]         THK  FIRST  TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  343 

"Behold  the  name  of  the  Lord  cometh  from  far,  burning 
with  His  anger  and  the  burden  thereof  is  heavy:  His  lips  are 

full  of  indignation,  and  His  tongue  as  a  devouring  fire And 

the  Lord  shall  cause  His  glorious  voice  to  be  heard,  and  shall 
shew  the  lighting  down  of  His  arm,  with  the  indignation  of 
His  anger,  and  with  the  liame  of  a  devouring  fire,  with  scat- 
tering, and  tempest  and  hailstones."     (Chap  xxx.  27-30.) 

Thus,  in  the  highly  wrought  symbols  of  the  ancient 
prophets,  is  described  the  manifestation  of  Israel's  Mes- 
siah. As  the  altar-fires  of  typical  sacrifice  burned  out  in 
Moses'  age,  the  fire  of  Messianic  truth  was  cast  into  the 
earth,  and  men  were  burned  or  cleansed,  according  as  they 
chose  relations  to  it.     Again: — 

"But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  His  coming?  and  who  shall 
stand  when  He  appeareth?  for  He  is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and 
like  fuller's  soap.  And  He  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of 
silver;  and  He  shall  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge  them 
as  gold  and  silver,  that  they  may  offer  unto  the  Lord  an  offer- 
ing in  righteousness.  Then  shall  the  offering  of  Judah  and 
Jerusalem  *  be  pleasant  unto  the  Lord,  as  in  the  days  of  old, 
and  as  in  former  years."     (Mai.  iii.  2-4.) 

Isaiah  uses  similar  language.     He  says: — 

"When  the  Lord  shall  have  washed  away  the  filth  of  the 
daughters  of  Zion,  and  shall  have  purged  the  blood  of  Jeru- 
salem from  the  midst  thereof  by  the  spirit  of  judgment,  and  by 
the  spirit  of  huriiing."     (Chap.  iv.  4.) 

Eelative  to  the  blood  as  symbolic  of  temporal  judg- 
ments at  the  first  Advent,  the  reader  may  further  compare 
Isaiah  Ixiii.  1-3,  and  Kevelation  xix.  11-16. 

"And  they  were  cast  upon  the  earth," — The 
earth  here,  in  contrast  with  the  heaven  of  verse  1,  which 
represents  the  Church,  or  the  "kingdom  of  heaven,"  must 
be  the  symbol  of  the  world,  or  all  those  peoples  outside 
the  restraints  of  the  law  of  God  and  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
John  the  Baptist,  personally,  introduced  Jesus  only  to 

*  As  to  antitypical  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  please  see  the  author's  pamphlet, 
"  The  Abomination  of  Dewlation,"  etc.,  section  VI.,  pp.  16-19. 


344  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI^ATION.       [part  VI. 

the  Jewish  people;  Peter  and  Paul  afterwards  introduced 
the  Son  of  God  to  the  nations  of  the  Gentile  world.  "It 
was  necessary/'  said  Paul  and  Barnabas,  "that  the  Word 
of  God  should  first  have  been  spoken  to  you;  but  seeing  ye 
put  it  from  you  and  judge  yourselves  unwortliy  of  ever- 
lasting life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles.  For  so  hath  the 
Lord  commanded  us,  saying,  I  have  set  thee  to  be  a  light 
of  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  shouldest  be  for  salvation  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth!'   (Acts  xiii.  46,  47.) 

"  The  third  part  of  trees  *  *  and  all  green 
grass  was  burnt  up." — The  trees  and g-reai  grass  sym- 
bolize the  children  of  God,  in  proof  of  which  I  quote 
Jeremiah  xvii.  7,  8: — 

"Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord,  and  whose 
hope  the  Lord  is.  For  he  shall  be  as  a  tree  planted  by  the 
waters,  and  that  spreadeth  out  her  roots  by  the  river,  and  shall 
not  see  when  heat  cometh,  but  her  leaf  shall  &e  green;  and  shall 
not  be  careful  in  the  year  of  drought,  neither  shall  cease  from 
yiehUng  fruit." 

And  again,  in  Eevelation  ix.  4,  a  contrast  is  drawn 
between  the  grass,  any  green  tiring  and  any  tree,  and 
"those  iJien  who  hav6  not  the  seal  of  God,"  or  who  are  not 
His  people. 

Thus  the  burning  up  of  the  trees  and  green  grass, 
as  representing  the  genuine  Israelites  of  the  old  dispensa- 
tion, must  signify  the  transformation  from  the  tlesh  to  the 
Spirit,  or  Gospel  conversion — the  new  creation  in  Christ; 
or,  as  stated  by  the  Apostle  Paul: — 

"For  I  through  the  law  am  dead  to  the  law,  that  I  might 
live  unto  God.  I  am  crucified  with  Christ;  nevertheless  I  live; 
yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me;  and  the  life  which  I  now  lire 
in  the  flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God."  (Gal.  ii. 
19,  20;  and  compare  Rev.  ix.  4.) 

The  third  part  tlius  burnt  up  seems  to  refer  to  such 
a  proportion  of  Israel  as  would  prove  themselves  genuine 


CHAP.  XXIV.]      THE  FIRST  Trumpet  soUndeo. 


345 


Israelites  by  receiving  the  Gospel  of  Christ.     Zechariah 
makes  the  same  proportion,  and  uses  the  same  figures: — 

"Awake,  O  sword,  against  My  shepherd,  and  against  the 
man  that  is  My  fellow,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts:  smite  the  shep- 
herd, and  the  sheep  shall  be  scattered;  and  I  will  turn  My 
hand  upon  the  little  ones.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  in 
all  the  land,  saith  the  Lord,  ttoo  parts  therein  shall  be  cut  off 
and  die;  but  the  third  shall  be  left  therein.  And  I  will  bring 
the  third  part  through  the  fire,  and  will  refine  them  as  silver 
is  refined,  and  will  try  them  as  gold  is  tried."     (Chap.  xiii.  7-9.) 

Here,  then,  is  clearly  seen  the  introduction  or  devel- 
opment of  the  Gospel  in  the  Hebrew  nation.  For  "Jews,  de- 
vout men,  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven,"  were  provi- 
dentially gathered  at  Jerusalem  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Gospel,  and  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  heard  the  first  great 
Gospel  sermon  in  all  the  languages  in  which  they  severally, 
had  been  born,  and  through  them  the  Gospel  was  introduced 
among  all  men.  (See  Acts  ii.  5.)  The  wonderful  mani- 
festation that  day  was  in  fulfillment  of  Joel's  prophecy 
to  pour  out  the  Spirit  "upon  all  flesh."  (Ver.  lG-18.) 
This  was  casting  fire  of  the  Jezvish  altar  into  the  earth. 
But  the  Jews,  as  a  people,  despised  the  Son  of  God,  and 
the  Word  of  God  which  He  brought  them,  and  prepared 
the  way  for  the  fiery  Judgment  of  the  second  trumpet 
upon  the  Mountain  of  God;  and  the  second  baptism  of  the 
Spirit,  poured  out  upon  the  Gentiles. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

11.   THE  SECOND  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— A  BURN- 
ING MOUNTAIN  CAST  INTO  THE  SEA. 

MOUNT    ZION,    THE    KINGDOM    OF    LITERAL    ISRAEL,    CAST 
OFF  AMONG  THE  NATIONS. 

Text,  Chapter  viii.  8,  9. 

8.  And  the  second  angel  sounded,  and  as  it  were  a  great 
mountain  burning  with  fire  was  cast  into  the 
From  Jeriisa-      gea:    and    the    third    part    of    the    sea    became 
leiii's  Destruc-     blood" 

tion,  A.D.  70,  io  g.    And    the    third    part    of    the    creatures 

A.D.  324.  which  were  in  the  sea,  and  had  life,  died;  and 

the  third  part  of  the  ships  were  destroyed. 

IT  IS  so  clear  that  this  ''hurning  moimtain"  relates  to 
Mount  Zion,  the  Hehrew  or  Jewish  kingdom,  all  on 
fire  with  judgments  from  the  neglected  and  despised 
Word  of  God,  that  it  is  indeed  singular 
Bfonnt  Zion         ^|^^^  g^  placG  for  it  sliould  ever  have  been 
All  on  Fire.        souglit  by  cxpositors  in  the  literal  Van- 
dalic  '^fire  ships"  of  the  fourth  century. 
Let  the  prophets  speak  and  tell  us  of  the  desolation  and 
judgments  of  the  Israelitish  Mountain,  and  observe  how 
their  words  pave  the  way  for  the  figures  of  the  Reve- 
lator: — 

"The  crown  is  fallen  from  our  head:  woe  unto  us,  that  we 
have  sinned!  for  this  our  heart  is  faint;  for  these  things  our 
eyes  are  dim.  Because  of  the  Mountain  of  Zion,  which  is 
desolate,  the  foxes  walk  upon  it."     (Lam.  v.  16-18.) 

34G 


CHAP.  XXV.]        THE  SECOND  TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  347 

"Who  art  thou,  O  great  mountain?  before  Zerubbabel  thou 
shall  become  a  plain;  and  He  shall  bring  forth  the  headstone 
thereof  [Christ]  with  shoutings,  crying,  Grace,  grace  unto  it." 
(Zech.   iv.   7.) 

"Turn  ye  unto  Him  from  whom  the  children  of  Israel  have 
deeply  revolted  .  .  .  princes  shall  be  afraid  of  the  ensign,  saith 
the  Lord,  whose  fire  is  in  Zion,  and  His  furnace  in  Jerusalem." 
(Isa.  xxxi.  6-9.) 

An  example  had  been  set  before  Israel  in  the  Lord's 
judgments  upon  the  kingdom  or  motinfain 
Babylon  -  q£   Babvlon  which   should   have   been   a 

also  a  Burnt      significant  lesson  to  them;  and  Jeremiah's 
Mountain.  figurative  description  of  it  should  have 

been  an  ample  commentary  upon  the  above 
figures  relative  to  Zion.  They  knew  that  the  history  of 
Babylon  had  justified  the  one  prophecy;  why  did  not  their 
faith  expect  and  shun  the  fulfillment  of  the  others?  Hear 
Babylon's  prefigured  (and  now  historic)   doom: — 

"Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  O  destroying  mountain,  saith 
the  Lord,  which  destroyed  all  the  earth;  and  I  will  stretch  out 
My  hand  upon  thee,  and  roll  thee  down  from  the  rocks,  and 
will  make  thee  a  burnt  mountain.  ■  And  they  shall  not  take  of 
thee  a  stone  for  a  corner,  nor  a  stone  for  foundations;  but  thou 
shalt  be  desolate  forever."     (Jer.  li.  25,  26.) 

It  is  impossible  to  find  in  the  "fire  ships"  of  Gen- 
seric,  the  kingdom  of  the  Vandals,  and  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  anything  to  answer  the  scope  and  requirements  of  the 
prophecy.  It  is  only  in  a  strained  semi-literal  sense  that 
any  such  application  could  be  made,  and  at  the  expense 
of  the  harmonies  I  have  noted.  But  the  application  to 
Jerusalem  answers  perfectly  all  requirements  and  parallel 
references.  Notice,  further,  how  the  Prophet  Isaiah  had 
prepared  the  mind  of  the  Eevelator  for  the  vision  of  a 
burning  mountain;  he  is  describing  the  sins  and  judg- 
ment of  Israel: — 


348  DIVINE   KEY   OP  THE  REVELATION.       [part  VI. 

"Therefore  as  the  fire  devoureth  the  stubble,  and  the  flame 
consumeth  the  chaflf,  so  their  root  shall  be  as 
iBalab  on  tbe  rottenness,  and  their  blossom  shall  go  up  as 
Fire  in  Israel,  dust;  because  they  have  cast  away  the  law  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  and  despised  the  word  of 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  Therefore  is  the  anger  of  the  Lord 
kindled  against  His  people,  and  He  hath  stretched  forth  His 
hand  against  them,  and  hath  smitten  them;  and  the  hills  did 
tremble,  and  their  carcasses  were  torn  in  the  midst  of  the 
streets.  For  all  this  His  anger  is  not  turned  away,  but  His  hand 
is  stretched  out  still."     (Chap.  v.  24,  25.) 

His  hand  was  stretched  out  still  to  Jerusalem,  be- 
cause of  His  promises  concerning  Messiah,  who  must  come 
of  that  kingdom.  But  Babylon  must  remain  "desolate 
forever."     Again: — 

"For  wickedness  hurneth  as  the  fire:  it  shall  devour  the 
briers  and  thorns,  and  shall  kindle  in  the  thickets  of  the  forest, 
and  they  shall  m'ount  up  like  the  lifting  up  of  smoke.  Through 
the  wrath  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  the  land  darkened,  and  the 
people  shall  be  as  the  fuel  of  the  fire:  no  man  shall  spare  his 
brother.  And  he  shall  snatch  on  the  right  hand,  and  be 
hungry;  and  he  shall  eat  on  the  left  hand,  and  they  shall  not 
be  satisfied;  they  shall  eat  every  man  the  flesh  of  his  own  arm; 
Manasseh,  Ephraim;  and  Ephraim,  Manasseh;  and  they  to- 
gether shall  be  agairtst  Judah.  For  all  this  His  anger  is  not 
turned  away,  but  His  hand  is  stretched  out  still."  (Chap  ix. 
18-21.) 

"Therefore  shall  the  Lord,  the  Lord  of  ho«ts,  send  among 
His  fat  ones  leanness;  and  under  His  glory  He  shall  kindle  a 
burning  like  the  burning  of  a  fire.  And  the  Light  of  Israel  shall 
be  for  a  fire,  and  His  Holy  One  for  a  fiame;  [Is  not  this  the  fire 
Jesus  came  to  kindle?  Luke  xii.  49;]  *  and  it  shall  burn  and 
devour  His  thorns  and  His  briers  in  one  day;  and  shall  con- 
sume the  glory  of  His  forest,  and  of  His  fruitful  field,  both  soul 
and  body;  and  they  shall  be  as  when  a  standard  bearer  fainteth. 
And  the  rest  of  the  trees  of  His  forest  shall  be  few,  that  a  child 
may  write  them."     (Chap.  x.   16-19.) 


*  See  the  author's  Exposiiiun  of  the  Parable  of  the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus,  Chap- 
ters V.  and  vi. 


CHAP.  XXV.  ]       THE  SECOND  TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  349 

"For  it  is  the  day  of  the  Lord's  vengeance,  and  the  year 
of  recompenses  for  the  controversy  of  Zion.  And  the  streams 
thereof  shall  be  turned  into  pitch,  and  the  dust  into  brimstone, 
and  the  land  thereof  shall  become  hurning  pitch.  It  shall  not 
be  quenched  nUjM  or  day;  the  smoke  thereof  shall  go  up  for 
ever;  from  generation  to  generation  it  shall  lie  waste;  none 
shall  pass  through  it  for  ever  and  ever."     (Chap,  xxxiv.  8-10.) 

A  multitude  of  such  Scripture  statements,  with  which 
Jesus  was  familiar,  formed  the  basis  in  His 
Origin  of  tiie  j^^ij-,(-|  ^f  ^^g  Parable  of  the  Eich  Man  and 
"Geiieiina"  Lazarus,  and  of  the  "Gehenna  fire,"  which 

Fis-ure.  jjg  g^^^j  would  ovcrtake  the  unbelieving 

Jews.  This  Jczvish  fire  was  typical  of  the 
"lake  of  fire"  which  is  predicted  for  the  papacy  in  its  last 
judgment,  and  is  exactly  like  it  in  every  respect,  as  we 
shall  find.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  Eich  Man  desired 
a  little  cooling  ivafer  (such  as  Jesus  only  could  give — John 
iv.  6-14)  for  his  parched  tongue  and  tormented  condition? 

"Cast  into  the  sea." — AVhat  sea  is  this?  As  I 
have  said,  it  cannot  refer  to  the  Mediterranean,  for  it  is 
a  symbol,  and  not  literal.  The  beasts  of  prophecy,  which 
came  up  out  of  "the  sea,"  (Daniel  vii.  and  Eevelation  xiii.) 
came  out  of  those  symbolic  "waters"  which  are  described 
as  "peoples,  and  multitudes,  and  nations  and  tongues" 
(Eev.  xvii.  15).  Israel  was  "cast  off"  into  such  a  sea — 
among  the  nations.  In  the  language  of  Jesus,  they  were 
"led  away  captive  into  all  nations,"  while  Jerusalem  is 
being  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles.  Take  a  text  or  two 
on  their  going  bnrning  into  this  sea: — 

"The  sin  of  Judah  is  written  with  an  iron  pen,  and  with 
the  point  of  a  diamond.  .  .  .   O   My  movntuin 
Jeremiah  al.so    i„  the  field,  I  will  give  thy  substance  and  all 
saw  Israel  thy  treasures  to  the  spoil,  and  thy  high  places 

bnrniiiiir  for    sin,    throughout    all    thy    borders.     And 

In  the  Sea.  thou,  even  thyself,  shall  discontinue  from  thine 

heritayc  that  I  gave  theej  and  I  will  cause  thee 


350  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVEIvATlON.       [pART  VI. 

to  serve  thine  enemies  in  the  land  which  thou  knowest  not;  for 
ye  hare  Jcivdled  a  pre  in  Mine  anger,  which  shall  burn  forever." 
— Jer.  xvii.    1-4. 

"And  I  will  make  thee  to  pass  ivith  thine  enemies  into  a 
land  whicli  thou  knowest  not;  for  a  fire  is  kindled  in  Mine  anger 
which  shall  burn  upon  you."     {It).,  xv.  14.) 

"Ye  have  done  worse  than  your  fathers  .  .  .  therefore  will 
I  cast  you  out  of  this  land  into  a  land  that  ye  know  not. 
neither  ye  nor  your  fathers;  and  there  shall  ye  serve  other  gods 
day  and  night;  and  I  will  not  shew  you  favor."     (It),  xvi.  12,  13.") 

"  The  third  part  of  the  sea  became  blood." — 
Here  is  shown  an  evident  purpose  and  providence  of  God 
in  graduating  His  judgment  to  turning  only  one-third 
part  of  the  sea  to  blood;*  in  other  words,  to  the  destroying 
to  that  extent  of  the  helpfulness,  protection  and  peace 
that  natwaUy  accrues  from  organized  government — order 
and  quiet  for  them  among  the  nations.  "We  are  exhorted 
to  pray  "for  kings,  and  all  that  are  in  authority  over  us, 
that  zve  may  lead  a  peaceable  and  quirt  life  in  all  godliness 
and  honest/'  (1  Tim.  ii.  2).  But  this  power  of  the  na- 
tions to  protect  and  benefit  their  wards  scattered  among 
them,  is  overruled  now  to  the  third  part  of  the  extent 
usually  exercised,  by  these  preventive  judgments.  A  typ- 
ical example  of  this  prediction  was  furnished  the  Jews 
of  the  first  century  after  Christ  by  the  experiences  of 
their  forefathers  in  the  days  of  the  captivity.  Describ- 
iug  tbose  times,  Jeremiah  says: — 

"For,  lo,  I  begin  to  bring  evil  on  the  city  which  is  called 
by  my  name.  ...  A  noise  shall  come  even  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth;  for  the  Lord  hath  a  controrersy  with  the  nations.  He  will 
plead  with  all  flesh;  He  will  give  the  wicked  to  the  sword,  saith 
the  Lord.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Behold,  evil  shall  go 
forth  from  nation  to  nation,  and  a  great  whirwind  shall  be 
raised  up  from  the  coasts  of  the  earth.  And  the  slain  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  at  that  day  from  one  end  of  earth,  even  unto  the 


*  Blood  having  the  literal  sense  here— see  imge  29. 


CHAP.  XXV.]       THE  SECOND  TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  35 1 

other  end  of  the  earth:  they  shall  not  be  lamented,  neither 
gathered,  nor  buried;  they  shall  be  dung  upon  the  ground." 
(Chap.  XXV.  27-33.) 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  how  such  a  deadly 
condition  of  things  in  the  "zvaters"  is  symbolized  by  rep- 
resenting them  as  turned  one-third  to  blood.  It  was  not 
oil  blood,  for  there  was  mercy  mixed  with  the  Judgment 
— ''His  hand  (was)  stretched  out  still." 

"The  third  part  of  the  creatures  which  were 
in  the  sea,  and  had  hfe,  died." — These  died  symbolic 
deaths,  it  is  understood,  as  in  the  case  of  the  burnt-up 
grass  and  trees  of  the  first  trumpet,  which  we  found 
illustrated  in  Paul's  crucifixion  with  Christ.  They  "had 
life"  in  that  they  had  the  "spirit  of  truth,"  or  a  desire 
to  be  right  with  God,  even  before  they  knew  the  truth. 
And  it  was  optional  with  the  people,  as  they  severally 
were  possessed  of  a  "spirit  of  truth"  or  a  "spirit  of  error," 
to  die  to  the  world  and  live  unto  God;  or  to  die  to  Christ 
and  live  unto  their  own  lusts,  not  being  "exercised"  by 
their  chastisements  in  a  manner  to  bring  forth  "the  peace- 
able fruit  of  righteousness."  JSTotice  how,  in  time  of 
trial,  God  discriminates  between  the  two  classes.  Isaiah, 
speaking  of  the  Gospel  age,  says: — 

"Behold,  My  servants  shall  eat,  but  ye  [unbelieving  Jews] 
shall  be  hungry;  behold,  My  servants  shall  drink,  but  ye  shall 
be  thirsty;  behold.  My  servants  shall  rejoice,  but  ye  shall  be 
ashamed;  behold,  My  servants  shall  sing  for  joy  of  heart,  but 
ye  shall  cry  for  sorrow  of  heart,  and  shall  howl  for  vexation 
of  spirit.  And  ye  shall  leave  your  name  for  a  curse  unto  my 
chosen;  for  the  Lord  God  shall  slay  thee,  and  call  His  servants 
by  another  name."     (Chap.  Ixv.   13-15.     Compare  Acts  xi.  25.) 

"Behold,  I  will  extend  peace  to  her  [Jerusalem]  like  a 
river,  and  the  glory  of  the  Gentiles  like  a  flowing  stream;  then 
shall  ye  suck,  ye  shall  be  borne  upon  her  sides,  and  be  dandled 
upon  her  knees.  As  one  whom  his  mother  comforteth,  so  will 
I  comfort  you;  and  ye  shall  be  comforted  in  Jerusalem.     And 


352  DIVINE   KEY   OP  THE   REVELATION.        [part  VI. 

when  ye  see  this,  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  bones  shall 
flourish  like  an  herb;  and  the  hand  of  the  Lord  shall  be  known 
toward  His  servants,  and  His  imlifjnatkm  toward  His  enemies. 
For,  behold,  the  Lord  will  come  ^vith  flrc,  and  with  His  chariots 
like  a  whirlwind,  to  render  His  anger  with  fury,  and  His  rebuke 
with  flames  of  flrc.  For  bi/  flre  and  by  Hifi  sword  [I.  c,  by  judg- 
ments and  His  Word]  loill  tlie  Lord  PLEAD  with  all  flesh; 
and  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  many."     (Isa.  Ixvi.  12-16.) 

"And  the  third  part  of  the  ships  were  de- 
stroyed."— The  destruction  of  the  commerce  and  inter- 
communication among  the  nations  is  the  loss  of  so  much 
life  and  power.  So  was  Israel  so  much  further  crippled, 
in  his  exile,  under  the  judgments  of  God,  as  declared  in 
the  predictions  quoted  ahove,  and  made  helpless  to  that 
extent.  They  were  left  to  feel  their  awfid  desolation, 
and  to  bewail  their  outcast  condition — forsaken  of  God 
among  their  enemies,  and  even  bereft  of  one-third  part 

of  possible  human  sympathy  and  help. 
The  Wandering  rpj^^g  condltiou  of  uubclieving  Jews 
Hebrews.  throughout  the  world  during  the  Gospel 

centuries  has  been  the  most  forlorn,  and 
pitiable  in  the  extreme.  They  are  scattered  as  wide  as 
civilization  extends,  driven  from  nation  to  nation,  with 
no  home-kingdom  to  appeal  to  for  redress  of  grievances, 
or  even  to  look  back  to  for  sympathy,  or  with  patriotic 
pride.  A  wandering  Saxon,  Frenchman,  German,  Irish- 
man, or  descendant  of  any  other  race  of  men,  can  look 
back  with  native  pride  to  fatherland.  It  is  not  so  with 
the  infidel  Hebre\y:  his  kingdom  is  destroyed,  and  his 
once  holy  city  and  land  are  under  the  requiting  heel  of 
the  infidel  Turk.  "If  they  even  return  to  view  the  place 
of  the  ancient  Presence,'"'  says  Dr.  Eobinson,  "it  is  only 
as  a  purchased  privilege  that  they  are  allowed  to  approach 
the  foundations  of  the  sacred  hill  where  their  fathers 
worshipped  the  only  true  God.     Here,  in  a  small  area 


CHAP.  XXV.]        THB  SKCOND  TRUMPET  SOUNDBD.  353 

near  some  huge  and  ancient  stones,  in  the  base  of  the 
western  wall  of  Moriah,  they  gather,  especially  on  sacred 
days,  to  sit  weeping  and  wailing  on  the  ground,  taking 
up  the  heart-breaking  lamentations  of  Jeremiah — living 
witnesses  of  the  truth  of  God's  word  fulfilled  in  them." — 
Bib.  Diet.  (Am.  Bib.  Un.  Ed.)  Chiseled  into  the  rock 
which  forms  the  arched  gateway  into  a  Jewish  cemetery 
in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  are  these  truly  pathetic  words: — 

"Tribes   of  the   wandering   feet  and   weary   breast, 
Whither  shall  ye  flee  away  and  be  at  rest? 
The  wild  dove  hath  her  nest,  the  fox,  his  cave, 
Mankind,  their  country,  Israel,  but  a  grave!" 

This  candid  confession,  wrung  from  the  disconsolate 
but  impenitent  Hebrews,  not  only  truthfully  epitomizes 
all  their  sad  history,  but  it  has  unwittingly  '"graven  with 
an  iron  pen"  in  the  "rock"  of  their  inexorable  (but  well 
deserved,  because  well  forewarned)  destiny,  the  great  truth, 
which  might  have  been  their  glory,  not,  as  now,  their 
shame;  7iamely,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who  wept  over 
them,  and  at  last  died  at  their  hands,  and  amidst  their 
cruel  jests,  first  with  tears  described  their  judgment,  say- 
ing, "And  they  shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the  szvord,  and  shall 
be  led  away  captive  into  all  nations;  and  Jerusalem  shall 
be  trodden  doivn  of  the  Gentiles,  until  the  times  of  the 
Gentiles  be  fultilled," — that  such  as  He — was  indeed  the 
Prophet  of  God,  the  Son  of  the  Highest,  and  their  own 
rejected  Messiah!  "King  of  the  Jews"!  How  can  the 
world,  much  more  the  Jews,  or  any  observing  intelligence 
in  the  world,  overlook  the  significance  of  that  awfully 
realistic  symbolism?— a  mountain  on  tire,  and  cast  into  the 
sea — not  quenched  thereby,  but  burning  ever! 


CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

III.     THE     THIRD     TRUMPET     SOUNDED— THE 

BURNING  STAR,  WORMWOOD,  FALLS  AND 

EMBITTERS  RIVERS  AND  FOUNTAINS. 

THE    NICENE    COUNCIL    AND    CREED    FILL    THE    CHURCH 

WITH   SMOKE,  AND   PAGAN    PEOPLES   AND   PROVINCES 

WITH    THE    SPIRIT    OF    ERROR    AND    STRIFE. 

Text,  Chapter  viii.  10,  11. 

10.  And  the  third  angel  sounded,  and  there  fell  a  great  star 
from  heaven,  burning  as  it  were  a  lamp,  and 

Gonstantiniaii    it  fgH  upon  the  third  part  of  the  rivers,  and 

Era— A.  D,  upon  the  fountains  of  water; 

324-537.  II    Aj^d    thg    name    of   the    star    is    called 

Wormwood:  and  the  third  part  of  the  waters 

became  wormwood;  and  many  men  died  of  the  waters,  because 

they  were  made  bittei;. 


-j^     GR] 


GREAT  STAR,  in  a  normal  state,  reflects  the  pure 
-J — »  light  of  heaven — shining  clear  and  bright.  But 
this  star,  on  the  contrary,  is  on  fire,  "burning" 
and  smoking  "as  a  torch."  {Lex.,  Emph.  Diag.  and  Revis.) 
A  torch  consumes  itself  in  burning,  illuminates  little, 
and  darkens  and  clouds  the  air  with  its  smoke  much  more. 
As  artificial  roses  do  not  emit  the  sweet 
A  Torch  is  odoi'S  of  God's  rosBS,  SO  neither  can  smok- 

uniike  a  Star,      j^g   torchcs   transmit   the   pure   light   of 
God's    stars.     We    must    not,    therefore, 
look  for  any  clear  light  from  this  star,  which  is  not  only 
smoking  in  self-consumption,  but  falling  from  its  proper 

354 


CHAP.  XXVI.]       THE  THIRD  TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  355 

place  of  illumination.  Heaven,  i.  e.,  the  firmament,  is 
the  place  for  literal  stars  to  shine;  and  the  Church,  the 
"kingdom  of  heaven,"  is  the  place  for  symbolic  stars; 
for  they  are  the  "angels  of  the  Church;"  not  of  the  empire, 
and  they  should  be  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  not  of 
speculation  and  human  prudence  and  policy,  as  Constan- 
tino and  his  creed-makers  manifestly  were.  And  for  a 
representative  of  Christ  to  neglect  his  high  calling  of 
ministering  in  the  Word,-  and  doctrine,  and  grace  of  God, 
to  dabble  with  things  of  a  purely  worldly  nature;  to  in- 
troduce human  theories,  laws  and  policies;  to  cater  to 
political  preferments,  rewards,  and  honors,  is  to  fall,  sym- 
bolically, from  "heaven"  to  "earth;"  from  an  exalted, 
God-approved  position  in  the  Church,  God's  sanctuary 
or  holy  place,  to  one  disapproved  of  God,  outside  the 
temple,  its  courts  and  walls,  in  the  world. 

This  third  period  of  Church  history,  we  have  seen, 
both  along  the  lines  of  the  churches  and  of  the  seals,  is 
the  Constantinean  Era.  When  Constantino  came  to  wear 
the  imperial  purple  of  Eome,  notwithstanding  the  gi- 
gantic efforts  of  his  predecessors,  since  the  days  of  ISTero, 
to  extirpate  the  religion  and  memory  of  Christ;  and  al- 
though three  million  Christians  had  been  sacrificed  to 
pagan  fury;  yet  Christianity  lived,  and,  as  says  Whelpley, 
"had  penetrated  almost  every  part  of  the  empire."  This 
emperor,  therefore,  saw  it  was  of  God,  or  at  least  that,  in 
spite  of  human  opposition,  it  was  bound  to  succeed;  and 
from  mere  policy,  doubtless,  (judging  from  his  after  life,) 
he  declared  his  conversion  to  its  principles,  and  claimed 
it  was  through  a  vision  that  was  little  less  wonderful 
than  was  that  of  Saul  of  Tarsus.  He  saw  a  cross  in  the 
sky,  he  said,  with  this  legend  in  letters  of  fire,  "By  this. 
Conquer."  The  office  of  Emperor  of  Eome  was  a  most 
exalted  position  for  a  disciple  of  Christ  to  occupy;  and 


356  DIViVE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI^ATION.       [paRT  VI, 

Constantine  thus  elevated,  and  being  as  true  in  his  dis- 
eipleship  as  in  his  riilership,  he  might  have  been  a  bright 
star  in  the  Christian  firmament.  But  it  cannot  be  said 
of  him,  as  of  Saul,  that  he  counted  "all  things  but  loss  for 
the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ."  On  the  con- 
trary, he  demeaned  that  knowledge  which  he  professed, 
by  placing  the  cross  (as  a  symbol  of  Christ)  as  a  standard 
to  lead  his  armies  in  carnal  warfare,  and  that,  chiefly,  to 
glorify  himself. 

We  have  seen,  also,  how  Constantine  and  his  sons 
corrupted  the  light  of  the  Gospel  through  the  Nicene 
creed,  and  political  interference  with  the  affairs  of  the 
Church.  They  were  but  men  of  the  world — unconverted 
save  to  a  worldly  Churchianity,  which,  from  political  pol- 
icy, they  sought  to  model  after  the  gorgeous  and  ex- 
travagant forms  of  paganism.  Mosheim  writes  thus  of 
their  period: — 

"The  fundamental  principles  of  Christian  doctrine  were  .  .  . 
often  explained  and  defended  in  a  manner  that 
Sfoslieim  on         discovered  the  greatest  ignorance,  and  an  utter 
tiie  Errors  of     confnsioti,    of   ideas    ["smoke"].     The    disputes 
the  Fourth  carrfed  on  in  the  Council  of  Nice  concerning 

Century.  ,     the  three*  persons  [!]   in  the   [one]   Godhead, 

afiford  a  remarkable  example  of  this,  particu- 
larly in  the  language  and  explanations  of  those  who  approved 


*  Mosheim  here  speaks  of  the  discussions  in  the  Council, 
not  of  the  nred,  which  was  its  final,  official,  "authoritative  [!] 
deliverance,"  it  should  be  noticed.  For  "the  more  powerful 
part  of  the  Church"  at  that  time,  and  wisely,  denied  the 
personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which,  as  they  well  knew,  in- 
spired writers  had  only  spoken  of  as  having  been  "poured  out" 
or  "shed"  and  "breathed  upon"  the  early  Church;  with  which 
they  had  been  "anointed,"  and  in  which  (en  pneumati)  they  had 
been  immersed,  by  its  filling  "the  whole  house  where  they  were 
sitting."  Such  phrases  cannot  rationally  be  used  of  a  person. 
Therefore  the  vote  of  that  Council  refused  only  to  declare 
ol^cially  in  the  creed  the  equality  of  the  Son  with  the  Father — 
even  that  being  unscriptural,  and  never  once  claimed  by  Jesus 


CHAP.  XXVI.  J        THE  THIRD  TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  .357 

the  decisions  of  that  council.  So  little  light,  [!  on  account  of 
the  stnoke,]  precision,  and  order,  reigned  in  their  discourses, 
that  they  appeared  to  substitute  [aye,  they  did  substitute]  three 
gods  in  the  place  of  one.  Nor  did  the  evil  end  here;  for  those 
vain  factions  which  an  attachment  to  the  Platonic  philosophy 
and  to  popular  opinions  had  engaged  the  greater  part  of  the 
Christian  doctors  to  adopt,  before  the  time  of  Constantine,  were 
now  confirmed,  enlarged  and  embellished  in  various  ways." — 
Eccl.  Uiat.,  vol.  i.,  bk.  ii.,  pt.  ii.,  ch.  iii. 


Himself;  so  that  Lactantius  "speaks  of  the  heathen  objecting  to 
the  Christian  doctrine  as  implying  two  gods,  [not  three]  one 
of  whom  was  mortal,  or  could  die  (Ben  Mordecai,  Apol.  i. 
119,  etc.);"  while  they  were  satisfied  at  that  time  with  simply 
declaring  further,  "We  believe  also  in  the  Holy  Ghost" — the 
Holy  Spirit.  (Recast  Credibil.  Script.,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  54,  55.) 
But  after  this,  the  majority  were  gradually  won  over  to  the 
theory  which  makes  the  Holy  Spirit,  also,  an  equal  person; 
thus  forming  a  trinity  of  gods — a  doctrine  wholly  unknown 
to  our  Bible.  (Mk.  xii.  29-32;  Deut.  iv.  39;  Isa.  xliv-  6,  24; 
xlv.  5,  6,  14-21;  John  xvii.  3;  i  Cor.  viii.  5,  6.)  And  thus  at 
the  Council  of  Constantinople  (381)  "a  hundred  and  fifty 
bishops,"  says  Mosheim,  "who  were  present,  gave  the  finishing 
touch  to  what  the  Council  of  Nice  had  left  imperfect,  and  fixed 
in  a  full  and  determinate  manner  the  doctrine  of  three  persons 
in  one  God,  [i^]  which  is  still  received  among  the  generality 
of  Christians"!  And,  to  show  the  "spirit  of  error"  that  dom- 
inated the  whole  afifair,  Mosheim  proceeds  as  follows:  "This 
venerable  assembly  did  not  stop  here;  they  branded  with  in- 
famy all  the  errors,  [of  which  they  were  evidently  incompetent 
judges,]  and  set  a  mark  of  execration  upon  all  the  heresies, 
that  were  hitherto  known;  [*S=]  they  advanced  the  Bishop  of 
Constantinople,  on  account  of  the  eminence  and  extent  of  the 
city  in  ichich  he  resided,  to  the  first  rank  after  the  Roman  pontifif, 
and  determined  several  other  points,  which  they  looked  upon 
as  essential  to  the  well-being  of  the  Church  in  general." — Eccl. 
Hist.,  vol.  i.,  bk.  ii.,  chap,  v.,  §xx. 

What  evidence  is  there  that  the  truth  can  be  even  under- 
stood by  such  men;  much  less  made  more  clear  by  their  formula- 
tions, wordy  speculations,  and  sanctioning,  in  the  Church,  such 
prestige  from  the  State?  But  thus  grew  up  in  the  creeds  of 
men,  the  whole  theory  of  the  Trinity,  in  making  the  living 
presence  and  power  of  God — His  omnipresence — His  Spirit — a 
third  person,  being,  or  independent,  living  intelligence!  A  folly 
worthy  only  of  Jezebel.  (See  on  chapter  ii.  20-24.)  Three 
PERSONS  in  one  God,  unless  we  deny  the  personality  of  God 
himself!  is  confusion  in  language,  and  an  absolute  contradic- 
tion in  terms. 


358  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.        [PART  VI. 

"No  sooner  had  Constantine  abolished  the  superstitions  of 
his  ancestors,  [i-  e.,  the  open,  avowed  worship  of  the  gods  of 
the  Romans,]  than  magnificent  churches  were  everywhere 
erected  for  the  Christians,  which  were  richly  adorned  with 
pictures  and  images,  and  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  pagan 
temples,  both  in  their  outward  and  inward  form." — lb.,  Chap. 
IV.,  §11. 

"The  virtues  which  had  formerly  been  ascribed  to  the 
heathen  temples,  to  their  lustrations,  to  the  statues  of  their 
gods  and  heroes,  were  now  attributed  to  Christian  churches, 
to  water  consecrated  by  certain  forms  of  prayer,  and  to  images 
of  holy  men.  And  the  same  privileges  that  the  former  enjoyed 
under  the  darkness  of  paganism  were  conferred  upon  the  latter 
under  the  light  of  the  gospel,  or  rather,  under  the  cloud  of 
superstition  [the  smoke  from  the  burning  star]  which  was 
ohscuring  its  glory " 

"Many  of  the  learned  in  this  century  undertook  translations 
of  the  Scriptures;  but  few  succeeded  in  this  arduous  enterprise. 
......  Of   interpreters,   the   number   was    very   considerable, 

among  whom  Jerome,  Hilary,  Eusebius,  Diodorus  of  Tarsus, 
Rufinus,  Ephraim  the  Syrian,  Theodore  of  Heraclea,  Chrys- 
ostom,  Athanasius  and  Didymus,  are  generally  esteemed  worthy 
of  the  first  rank.  It  is  however  certain,  that,  even  of  these 
first-rate  commentators,  [4®"]  few  have  discovered  a  just  dis- 
cernment, or  a  sound  judgment  in  their  laborious  expositions  of 
the  sacred  writings.  Rufinus,  Theodore,  and  Diodorus,  with 
some  others,  have,  indeed,  followed  the  natural  signification  of 
the  words;  [?]  the  rest,  after  the  example  of  Origen,  are 
laborious  in  the  search  of  far-fetched  interpretations,  and  per- 
vert the  expressions  of  Scripture,  which  they  very  imperfectly 

understand 

"The  doctrines  of  Christianity  had  not  a  better  fate  than 

the  sacred  writings  from  which  they  are 
piatonism  drawn.     Origen    was   the   great   model    whom 

Ruling  tlie  the    most    eminent    of    the    Christian    doctors 

Ortliodox  (?)  followed  in  their  explications  of  the  truths  of 
Ciiiirch.  the  Gospel,  which  were  consequently  explained 

according  to  the  rules  of  the  Platonic  philosophy, 
as  it  was  corrected  and  modified  by  that  learned  father,  for  the  in- 
struction of  the  youth.     Those  who  desire  a  more  ample  and  ac- 


CHAP.  XXVI.]      the;  third   TRLtMPElT  SOUNDED.  359 

curate  account  of  this  matter  may  consult  Gregory  Nazianzen 
among  the  Greeks,  and  Augustine  among  the  Latins,  who  were 
followed  for  a  long  time  as  the  only  patterns  worthy  of  imita- 
tion, and  who,  next  to  Origen,  may  be  considered  as  the  parents 
and  supporters  of  the  philosopliical  or  scholastic  theology.  They 
tmre  hoth  zealous  Platonists;  and,  holding  for  certain  all  the 
tenets  of  that  philosopher  which  were  not  totally  repugnant 
to  the  truths  of  Christianity,  [*^J  they  laid  them  down  as 
fundamental  principles,  and  drew  from  them  a  great  variety  of 
subtile  conclusions  which  neither  Christ  nor  Plato  ever  thought 
of." — lb.,  Chap.  iii. 

We  have  thus  established  the  Platonic  parentage  of 
"scholastic  theology."      And,  remarkable 
Smoke  is  not       |-q  gg^y^  q^q  foundations  of  that  theology 
^**'*'*  are  "orthodox/'  so-called,  still.    Addison's 

Eye-salve.  'Tlato,   thou   reasouest   well,"    holds   its 

place  in  the  popularly  accepted  hym- 
nology  of  to-day,  and  is  no  better  theology  now  than  in 
Plato's  time.  Surely,  it  was  a  smoky  star  that  fell  from 
the  so-called  orthodox  firmament  upon  the  Church  and 
empire  of  the  fourth  century.  This  smoking  torch  fell 
upon — 

"The  third  part  of  the  rivers  and  fountains  of 
waters." — These  waters  represent  the  peoples,  tribes  and 
nations  (Rev.  xvii.  15)  upon  which  Constantine  warred  as 
an  ecclesiastico-military  despot.  For  he  prevailed,  not  only 
with  his  arts  in  the  Catholic  Councils,  but  with  his  arms 
over  the  pagan  nations  and  provinces.     Mosheim  says: — 

"There  is  no  doubt  that  the  victories  of  Constantine,  the 
fear  of  punishment,  and  the  desire  of  pleasing  that  mighty 
conquerer  and  his  imperial  successors,  were  the  weighty  argu- 
ments that  moved  ichole  nations,  as  well  as  particular  persons, 
to  embrace  Christianity." — Eccl.  Hist.,  vol.  i.,  bk.  ii.,  pt.  i.,  §23. 

Ah,  they  embraced  not  Christianity,  but  paganized 
Church] anity.  Mosheim  admits  that  Origen  "has  an  un- 
doubted right  to  the  first  place  among  interpreters  of  the 


36o  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION.       [part  VI. 

Scriptures"!  in  the  third  century;  but  says, 
orig-en  the  ''^^  jg  j^q|-  -^vithout  deep  concern  that  we 

Krrorist.  q^j.q  obliged  to  add  that  he,  also,  by  an 

unhappy  method,  [then  why  follow  it 
up?]  opened  a  secure  retreat  for  all  sorts  of  errors  that  a 
wild  and  irregular  imagination  could  bring  forth."  Think 
of  such  a  character  being  endorsed  as  a  teacher  and  ex- 
ponent of  truth!  He  had  a  ''lively  imagination,  and  main- 
tained that"  the  Scriptures  "were  to  be  interpreted  in  the 
same  allegorical  manner  in  which  the  Platonists  explained 
the  history  of  the  gods.  In  consequence  of  this  pernicious 
rule,  he  alleged  that  the  words  of  Scripture  were  in  many 
places  absolutely  void  of  sense"!!  And  further,  Mosheim 
confesses  of  this  hero  of  ancient  orthodoxy  as  follows: 
"Nor  did  the  inventions  of  Origen  end  here.  He  divided 
this  hidden  sense,  which  he  pursued  with  such  eagerness, 
into  the  moral  and  mysticar'  !  (Vol.  i.,  bk.  i.,  pt.  ii., 
ch.  iii.,  §  5.)  Thus  the  mystical  sense,  of  course,  could 
be  introduced  wherever  he  pleased  to  find  the  Scriptures 
"void  of  sense." 

And  now  take  two  statements  from  the  same  writer, 

and  only  a  few  pages  beyond,  which  show 
still  uphoiaing-  Mosheim's  own  equal  determination  to 
Origen.  maintain  a  popular  error,  and  his  strange 

inconsistency  in  doing  so.  And  let  those 
who  wish  to  remain  '"orthodox"  in  faith  console  themselves 
as  they  can  with  the  showing.  In  chapter  v.,  §  14,  he 
says: — 

"At  this  same  period,  Beryllus,  an  Arabian,  Bishop  of 
Bozra,  and  a  man  of  eminent  piety  and  learning,  taught 
that  Christ,  before  His  birth,  had  no  proper  svibsistence, 
nor  any  other  divinity,  than  that  of  the  Father;  which 
opinion,  when  considered  with  attention,"  Mosheim  con- 
tinues, "amounts  to  this:  that  Christ  did  not  exist  before 


CHAP.  XXVI.]       THE  THIRD   TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  36 1 

Mary,  bu4  that  a  spirit  issuing  from  God  Himself,  and 
therefore  superior  to  all  liimian  souls,  as  being  a  portion 
of  the  divine  nature,  was  united  to  Him  at  the  time  of 
His  birth."  And  then  he  adds  with  evident  pleasure, 
that  "Beryllus,  however,  was  refuted  by  Origeu  with  such 
a  victorious  power  of  argument  and  zeal,  that  he  yielded 
up  the  cause,  and  returned  to  the  bosom  of  the  Church." 
])ut  on  reading  this,  on  the  contrary,  we  should  be  filled 
with  sorrow  equal  to  Mosheim's  orthodox  joy,  that  a 
bishop  of  "eminent  piety  and  learning,"  and  holding, 
although  not  wholly  correct,*  yet  so  much  more  reason- 
able and  scriptural  views  than  his  opponent,  should  be 
overcome  by  the  confessed  subtilty  and  zeal  of  a  man  like. 
Origen,  who  had  so  little,  if  any,  real  respect  for  the 
Scriptures,  that  he  could  at  any  time  set  them  aside  as 
"absolutely  void  of  sense,"  if  they  did  not  please  his  "lively 
imagination,"  his  ingenious  "inventions,"  and  his  "mys- 
terious and  hidden  senses."  Does  God  give  any  truth  to 
such  teachers?     See  Matt.  vi.  23;  xiii.  13;  Lu.  viii.  18. 

In  the  16th  section  of  the  same  chapter  the  bias  of 
Mosheim  is  only  too  visible,  in  his  efforts 
The  Bias  of        ^q  belittle  the  believers  in  conditional  im- 
Mosiieim.  mortality:  he  says: — "It  was  not  only  in 

the  point  now  mentioned,  that  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Gospel  suffered,  at  this  time,  from  the  er- 
roneous fancies  of  wrong-headed  doctors."  How  they 
were  more  "wrong-headed"  than  Origen  would  be  difficult 
to  say.     But  as  Mosheim  will  have  it, — 

*  It  may  be  doubted  if  Beryllus  was  correctly  understood, 
else  correctly  reported,  however  sincere  Mosheim's  account. 
The  seventh  chapter  of  this  work  outlines,  I  have  no  doubt, 
the  Scriptural  and  early  Church  belief  concerning  the  nature 
of  our  Lord.  Beryllus  was  not  so  far  from  this  view,  if,  in  fact, 
he  did  not  hold  the  very  same,  as  I  more  believe  he  did. 


362  DIVINE   KEJY   OP  THE   REVBI^ATlON.       [parT  VI. 

"There  sprang  up  now,  in  Arabia,  a  certain  soat  of  minute 
philosophers,  the  disciples  of  a  master  whose  obscurity  has 
concealed  him  from  the  knowledge  of  after  ages,  who  denied 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  believed  that  it  perished  with 
the  body;  but  maintained,  at  the  same  time,  that  it  was  to  be 
recalled  to  life  with  the  body  by  the  power  of  God.  The 
philosophers  who  held  this  opinion  were  denominated  Arabians 
from  their  country.  Origen  was  called  from  Egypt  to  make 
head  against  this  rising  sect,  and  disputed  with  them,  in  full 
council,  with  such  remarkable  success,  that  they  abandoned 
their  erroneous  sentiments,  and  returned  to  the  received  doc- 
trines of  the  Church." 

Mosheim  speaks  very  confidently  about  "erroneous 
sentiments/'  and  yet  thinks  that  they  were  corrected  by 
such  an  erroneous  and  misguided  teacher  as  was  Origen; 
when  he  might  have  reflected  that,  though  disagreeing 

with  the  philosophy  of  Plato,  and  the  no- 
scripture  or  tious  of  Origen,  they  were  wonderfully 
Creed,  wiiieii?    jjj   hamiony   with   the   statement   of   the 

"obscure"  Jesus,  who  said  that  "He  that 
hath  the  Son  hath  life;  and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of 
God  hath  not  life"  (1  John  v.  13;  John  iii.  36).  In  the 
verse  preceding  this.  He  further  said,  "And  this  life  is  in 
the  Sonf  not,  then)  in  the  Soul.  And  the  Apostle  Paul 
said  that  "when  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then 
shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him  in  glory;"  not,  then,  at 
death.  So  that  the  "minute"  and  "obscure"  Arabians 
may  have  been  right,  after  all,  before  being  robbed  of  the 
truth  by  Origen,  that  the  mind  or  all  the  conscious  facul- 
ties and  forces  of.  man's  being  do  sleep,  or  perish,  with  the 
destruction  of  the  body.  Solomon  says,  "The  living  know 
that  they  shall  die;  but  the  dead  know  not  anything:  .  .  . 
their  love,  and  their  hatred,  and  their  envy,  is  now 
perished',  neither  have  they  any  more  a  portion  forever 
[for  or  during  the  ages  of  time]  in  any  thing  that  is  done 
under  the  sun  \i.  e.,  again,  during  time]   ....  for  there 


CHAP.  XXVI.]  THE  THIRD   TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  363 

is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the 
grave  whither  thou  goest"  (Eccl.  ix.  5,  6,  10).  And  David 
says,  "The  dead  praise  not  the  Lord,  neither  any  that  go 
down  into  silence"  (Psa.  cxv.  17).  Again,  "Let  my  soul 
live  and  it  shall  praise  Thee"  (Psa.  cxix.  175).  "While 
I  live  will  I  praise  the  Lord:  I  will  sing  praises  unto  my 
God  while  I  have  any  being.  Put  not  your  trust  in 
Princes,  nor  in  the  son  of  man  in  whom  there  is  no  help. 
His  breath  goeth  forth,  he  returneth  to  his  earth;  in  that 
very  day  his  thoughts  perish"  (Psa.  cxlvi.  2-4). 

Must  we  say,  to  be  orthodox,  that  all  these  statements, 
and  all  other  relative  statements  of  the  Bible  are  foolish 
and  "void  of  sense,"  that  the  superior  wisdom  of  Plato, 
and  the  subtile  inventions  and  hidden  senses  of  Origen 
may  stand?  God  forbid!  Wliat,  then,  is  the  smoke,  of 
which  the  Eevelator  saw  so  much  in  the  early  and  middle 
ages?  which  were  the  "erroneous  fancies,"  and  which  the 
"wrong-headed  doctors,"  in  those  creed-building  times? 
Is  it  difficult  for  the  candid  and  truly  orthodox  student 
to  answer?  Must  we  not  admit  that  the  prophets,  our 
Lord,  and  His  apostles,  were  true  and  sound,  even  though 
it  should  prove  that  all  the  creeds  are  erroneous,  and  all 
the  creed-builders,  "wrong-headed"? 

But,  to  proceed,  we  find  the  following  lucid  statements 

made  by  Mr.  Gibbon: — 

"The  establishment  of  Christianity  as  the  religion  of  the 
state    followed   the    defeat   of    Licinius    (A.D. 
How  Gibbon        324).     As    soon    as    that    event    had    invested 
Ssiw  Constantine  with    the    sole    dominion    of    the 

Constantine.  Roman  world,  he  immediately,  by  circular 
letters,  exhorted  all  his  subjects  to  imitate  the 
example  of  their  sovereign,  and  to  embrace  the  divine  truth  of 
Christianity.  The  irresistible  power  of  the  Roman  emperors 
was  displayed  in  the  important  and  dangerous  change  of  the 
national  religion.  The  terrors  of  a  military  force  silenced  the 
faint  and  unsupported  murmurs  of  the  pagans.  .  .  .  Constantine 


364  DIVINK   KEY   OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.       [part  Vl. 

and  his  successors  could  not  easily  persuade  themselves  that 
they  had  forfeited,  by  their  conversion,  any  branch  of  the  im- 
perial prerogatives,  or  that  they  were  incapable  of  giving  laws 
to  a  religion  which  they  had  protected  and  embraced." — 
Stiidcnt's  Gibbon,  p.   122. 

So  it  may  be  said  that  this  great  luminary  of  the 
Eoman  world  fell  from  the  position  which 
Truly  a  j^g   sliould   havo    occiipicd,    although    an 

Fallen  Star.  emperor,  meekly  submissive  to  "the  law 
of  Christ,"  in  "the  kingdom  of  heaven," 
teaching  and  exemplifying  the  divine  mill,  down  to  that 
mean  Roman,  eai'thly  Imperialism  which  was  the  glory 
of  his  own  will;  and  in  this  he  conferred  upon  his  subject 
provinces,  not  the  pure  religion  of  Jesus,  but  the  smoking 
exhalations  of  the  human  mind;  for  the  Nicene  creed  was, 
at  best,  but  a  false  explanation  of  the  Word  of  God,  a 
human  "invention,"  and  purely  fancyftil  theory  of  the 
truth:  his  mission  thus  reflecting  in  the  pagan  "rivers  and 
fountains,"  not  the  image  of  Christ,  as  we  have  already 
learned,  but  a  creature  having  "a  face  as  a  man."  Their 
trust  was  in  men;  the  "fathers,"  more  than  in  God;  and 
their  reliance  on  human  prudence  more  than  on  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Christ,  the  "Bright  and  Morning  Star,"  taught  His 
disciples  that  men  should  live  "by  every  word  that  pro- 
ceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God."  And  proof  that  Con- 
stantino, the  "great  star"  of  this  period,  was  symbolically 
fallen  from  the  heavenly  firmament  or  expansion  of 
truth,  is  clear,  in  that  the  Nicene  Creed,  which  he  pushed 
both  upon  the  Church  and  upon  the  pagan  world,  was  not 
only  many  times  less  than  "every  word.  .  .  of  God,"  but 
that  it  was  not  even  in  any  degree  true  to  its  nevertheless 
plausible  claim  to  being  based  on,  or  to  being  a  fair  ex- 
planation of,  the  Word  of  God.  Furthermore,  the  name 
of  this  fallen  star  is — 


CHAP.  XXVI.]  THE   THIRD    TRUMPET   SOUNDED.  365 

"Wormwood;  and  the  third  part  of  the 
waters  became  Wormwood." — Bitterness ;  and  sym- 
bolic of  the  bitter  contentions  "abont  words  to  no  profit, 
snbverting  the  hearers,"  which  characterized  all  that  long 
nnscriptural  contest  concerning  ''two  natures"  in  Christ.* 
In  glancing  over  Mosheim's  account  of  the  "internal  his- 
tory" of.  the  Church  during  the  fourth  centuiy,  my  eye 
caught  the  words  bitter  and  bitterness,  as  describing  doc- 
trinal dissensions,  no  less  than  six  times.  This  bitterness, 
which  was  prominent  in  all  the  historic  Eomish  contro- 
versies, is  the  very  opposite  of  love,  the  true  characteristic 
of  the  representatives  of  the  Gospel  and  truth.  But  those 
apostatizing  teachers  and  leaders  were  possessed  of  the 
bitter  spirit  of  persecution,  and  joined  in  the  hateful 
"N^icolaitan"  work  of  subduing  the  people  under  the  fallen 
smoky  star,  more  than  under  Christ,  the  "Bright  and 
Morning  Star." 

"And  many  men  died  of  the  waters,  be- 
cause they  were  made  bitter."  —  "Men"  here 
evidently  symbolize  rulers,  as  did  the  riders  of  the 
Eoman  horses  in  the  seals  of  the  sixth  chapter.  Those 
riders  stood  for  whole  dynasties  of  individual  rulers.  (See 
page  227.)  No  less  than  sixteen  distinct  reigns  succeeded 
that  of  Constantine  I.,  before  the  fall  of  theWestern  Em- 
pire. These  emperors  mostly  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  Church;  ambition  catered  to  the  general  popular  trend 
of  Roman  thought  towards  apostasy:  they  therefore  "died" 
symbolically,  that  is,  to  God,  to  truth,  and  the  true  in- 
terests of  the  Church,  because  of  bitterness  in  the  waters — 
because  of  the  general  defection  of  the  Church  throughout 
the  empire,  through  the  bitter,  wrangling,  selfish  spirit 
in  which  the  work  (said  to  be  for  Christ)  was  carried  on 
by  the  bishops,  who,  in  turn,  catered  for  imperial  favors. 
And  thus  was  all  Christian  life  and  work  embittered  to 
the  great  loss  of  the  Church. 

*  See  page  105  and  onward  for  something  of  its  history, 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

IV.     THE    FOURTH    TRUMPET    SOUKDED— THE 

SUN,  MOON  AND  STARS  DARKENED 

A  THIRD  PART. 

THE    OLD    AND    NEW    TESTAMENTS,    AND    THE    MINISTRY, 
SHROUDED    IN    A    DARK    VEIL    OF    TRADITION. 

Text,  Chapter  viii.  12,  13. 

12.  And   the   fourth   angel    sounded,   and   the   third   part   of 

the  sun  was  smitten,  and  the  third  part  of  the 
The  moon,  and  the  third  part  of  the  stars;  so  as 

Jnstinian  Era,  the  third  part  of  them  was  darkened,  and  the 
A.D.  520-G22.         (j^y  shonc  not  for  a  third  part  of  it,  and  the 

night  likewise. 

13.  And  I  beheld,  and  heard  an  eagle  flying  through  the 
midst  of  heaven,  saying  with  a  loud  voice.  Woe,  woe,  woe,  to 
the  inhabiters  of  the  earth  by  reason  of  the  other  voices  of  the 
trumpet  of  the  three  angels,  which  are  yet  to  sound! 

^1  HE  sun  and  moon,  as  symbols,  represent  the  light  or 
--*>-  Word  of  God:  the  sun,  the  New  Testament  and  the 
Gospel  of  Christ;  and  the  moon,  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  law  of  Moses.  '"The  evening  and  the  morn- 
ing were  the  first  day,"  wrote  Moses:  so  the  dimmer  light  of 
the  Old  Covenant,  with  the  law  added  as  a  schoolmaster, 
brought  the  world  on  to  Christ,  "the  Light  of  the  World," 
— the  New  Covenant,  and  the  Gospel  day.      The  stars 

366 


CHAP.  XXVII.]      THE   FOURTH   TRUMPET   SOUNDED.  367 

symbolize  the  represaitative  lights — the  "angels"  of  the 
Church,  or  the  ministry  of  the  period.  The  third  part  of 
all  these  Gospel  lights  are  said  to  be  put  out  in  this  fourth 
period;  and  the  prophetic  student  will  readily  recognize 
the  Justinian  Era  and  influences.  Constantine  began  the 
supplanting  of  the  Word  of  God  with  the  creed  formulated 
at  the  Council  of  Nice.  Justinian,  two  centuries  later, 
formally  united  Church  and  State,*  completed  the  creed 
called  orthodox,  which  had  been  growing  steadily  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  Councils  from  the  first,  and  enforced  it 
with  all  the  powers  of  the  "Holy  Roman  Empire,"  and  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  combined.  Constantine  was  a 
fallen  star,  smoking  like  a  consuming  torch,  putting  out 
the  lights,  and  darkening  the  divine  counsel  with  human 
words!  Justinian  followed  zealously  on,  setting  up,  as 
we  have  seen,  the  "Abomination  of  Desolation"  in  the 
Church,  and  putting  out  one-third  part  of  all  the  divine 
light  in  the  world.     Says  the  Historian  Gibbon: — 

"The  reign  of  Justinian  was  a  uniform  yet  various  scene  of 
persecution;  and  he  seems  to  have  surpassed 
Jaatinlan  the  hjg  indolent  predecessors,  both  in  the  con- 
Persecutor,  trivance  of  his  laws  and  the  rigor  of  their 
execution.  The  insufficient  term  of  three 
months  was  assigned  for  the  conversion  or  exile  of  all  heretics.  .  • 
But  in  the  creed  of  Justinian  the  guilt  of  murder  could  not  be 
applied  to  the  slaughter  of  unbelievers;  and  he  piously  labored 
to  establish,  with  fire  and  sword,  the  unity  of  the  Christian 
[Romanist]  faith."— Z)ecZine  and  Fall,  Vol.  IV.,  ch.  xlvii.,  p.  528. 

What  other  effect  could  such  a  murderous  policy 
have  upon  all  the  weaker  elements  in  the  Church,  than  to 
put  out  their  lights,  which  otherwise  would  have  con- 
tinued to  shine  for  Christ?  The  proportion  does  not 
appear  too  great  of  those  who  would  evidently  apostatize 
before  such  fiery  trials.     Mr.  Gibbon  says: — 

*See  The  Abommation  of  Deiolation,  The  Wwld's  Gnat  Sign  of  the  Tivus,  ?  §  ix.,  x. 


368  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.       [part  VI. 

"Justinian  addressed  to  the  Senate  and  Provinces  his  eternal 
oraeles;  and  his  pride,  under  the  mask  of  piety. 

His  Vanity.  ascribed   the   consvtmmation   of   this   great   de- 

sign   to    the    support    and    inspiration    of    the 

Deity." — lb.,    Ch.    xliv.,   p.   461. 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  such  work  could  be  done 
in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  the  hardihood  assumed  after- 
wards to  blasphemonsly  ascribe  it  to  the  ''inspiration  of 
the  Deity."  When  the  chnrch  miited  with  such  a  power, 
and  for  snch  a  purpose,  how  could  she  longer  shed  a  single 
ray  of  light?  Truly,  the  Gospel  sun  and  moon  were  dark- 
ened— the  two  witnesses  were  clothed  in  sackcloth,  and 
Truth  lay  prostrate  in  the  dust!  The  Prophet  Daniel,  in 
his  visions,  saw  and  described  exactly  the  same  condition 
of  things  taking  place  in  this  sixth  century;  and  the 
Eevelator  also  saw  it  in  connection  with  the  Thyatirian  or 
fourth  Church,  and  the  events  of  the  fourth  seal.  (The 
reader  can  refresh  memory  by  rereading  in  those  connec- 
tions, if  necessary.)  Daniel  describes  the  Roman  power, 
in  connection  Avith  the  Church,  as  making  "war  with  the 
saints/'  not  "heretics"'  (cliap.  vii.  21);  and  as  casting  "down 
the  tnifJi  to  the  grqund"  (chap.  viii.  12).  There  was  no 
occasion  to  war  upon  the  saints,  nor  the  truth  as  such; 
and  it  Avas  not  so  pretended.  But,  being  filled  Avith  error, 
they  piously — to  use  Gibbon's  irony — called  the  saints 
"heretics;"  the  truth  "heresy,"  and  the  light  "darkness." 
What  was  the  matter?  Eome,  State  and  Church  Avere 
"Avrong-headed" — AATong  in  every  particular  of  the  creed; 
and  the  Church  was  AA'rong — then  and  noAV — in  suffering 
that  Eoman  AA^oman  "Jezebel  to  teach  and  seduce"  the  ser- 
vants of  God  to  eat,  not  the  bread  of  God,  but  "of  idols" — 
to  put  error  for  truth,  and  darkness  for  light.  Therefore, 
in  her  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  she  Avas  Avrong  on  the  nature 
of  God,  of  Christ,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  in  her  doctrine 


CHAP.  XXVII.]       THE   FOURTH   TRUMPET  SOUNDED.  369 

of  the  natural  immortality  of  the  soul,  she  was  wrong  on 
the  nature  of  man.  And  so  to  the  end  of  her  teachings; 
and  all  "her  children"  are  wrong  with  her.     The  Arians, 

too,  had  errors  and  inconsistencies,  but 
Tiie  Arians  iiad  ^|^gy  -^^g^^  light  and  faith  cnougli  to  teach 
some  Ligriit.          corrcctlj  that  the  Son  ''had  a  beginning, 

and  that  there  was  a  time  when  He  was 
not."  The  ISTicene  Council  pronounced  these  doctrines 
heretical,  and  Arius  was  exiled."  The  Nicene  Creed  de- 
clared the  Son  to  be  "very  God  of  very  God  ...  of  one 
substance  with  the  Father;  by  whom  all  things  in  heaven 

and  earth  were  made  [!]  ...  And  those 
The  Creed,  ^y]^Q  g^y  there  was  a  time  when  the  Son  of 

Darkness  Q^^  ^^^s  not,  or  that  He  did  not  exist 

and  Bigotry.       before  He  was  made  [man],  because  He 

was  made  out  of  nothing,  or  of  another 
substance  or  essence,  or  that  He  was  created  or  mutable — 
the  Catholic  and  Apostolic  church  [apostate!  church] 
anathematizes  such."  Dr.  Pond,  in  his  Church  History, 
says  that  Arianism  "was  crushed  almost  at  once,  when  the 
Vandals  were  driven  out  of  Africa,  and  the  Goths  out  of 
Italy,  by  the  arms  of  Justinian,  in  the  sixth  century." 
But  that  orthodox  writer,  not  heeding  Daniel's  statement 
that  "arms"  should  stand  on  the  part  of  Rome — of  which 
Justinian  was  emperor — to   set   up   the   Abomination   of 

Desolation,  to  cast,  or  ''crush"'  the  truth  to 
Dr.  Pond  |]-^q  grouiid,  and  to  war  upon  the  saints, 

suuareiy  Confidently  says,  with  the  Eomanists,  that 

with  Rome.  ^|^g  "coutcst  was  Carried  on  between  the 

Church  and  the  heretics'"  \  But  this  was 
true  only  if  Jeacbel  was  "the  Church;"  Romanism,  Christ- 
ianity, and  the  fifty  million  martyrs  of  Jesus,  "heretics," 
and  not  ' '  sahits. ' '  Is  God  right,  or  are  Rome  and  her  Prot- 
estant   "children"?    which?     Can    prophecy    and    history 


370  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE    REVELATION.        [parT  VI. 

both  be  wrong?  Yet  Dr.  Pond  is  all  right  with  the  so- 
called  "orthodox"  Protestantism  of  our  day.  0  incon- 
sistent churchmen!  Why  protest  against  the  pope  and 
then  meekly  receive  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  the  Catholic 
councils? — the  smoke  and  darkness  of  the  fallen  star? 
the  teaching  of  Jezebel  in  contempt  of  God's  Word,  and 
in  express  violation  of  His  will  (ch.  ii.  20-24)?     Why? 

John  next  beheld  and  heard — 

"An  eagle  flying  through  the  midst  of  heaven." 
— The  English  translators  here,  though  the  original  word 
is  aetou,  eagle,  give  "angel."  But  when  we  know  that  the 
loud  voice  was  that  of  an  eagle,  we  at  once  identify  the 
living  creature  or  "flying  eagle"  of  the  fourth  seal,  there- 
fore this  same  Justinian  period.  It  is  strange  that  those 
translators  could  be  so  heedless  of  faithfulness  to  the  text, 
and  of  the  right  of  the  English  readers,  as  to  so  meddle 
with  the  words  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  for  it  is  a  valuable  help 
in  locating  the  fourth  trumpet.  This  "flying  eagle"  was 
"saying  with  a  loud  voice. — 

"Woe,  Woe,  Woe  to  the  inhabiters  of  the 
earth." — Woe  to  the  rulers  of  the  earth,  for  the  symbols 
here  have  a  political  reference,  and  cannot  relate  to  the 
ordinary  inhabitants  of  the  empire;  but  to  those  "kings 
of  the  earth,"  of  the  fourth  period,  who  had  committed 
adulteries  with  Jezebel,  and  were  soon  to  have  their  "great 
tribulation,"  severe  judgment,  or  "woes,"  for  their  in- 
iquitous work  in  persecuting  and  killing,  not  "heretics," 
but  "saints." 

"  By  reason  of  the  other  voices  of  the  trumpet 
of  the  three  angels  that  are  yet  to  sound." — It 
should  be  remembered,  therefore,  that  the  last  three 
trumpets  are  woes,  or  judgments,  upon  the  world-powers 
for  their  iniquitous  intercourse  with,  and  support  of,  the 
great  apostate,  harlot  Church,  in  her  cruel  war  upon  the 
defenseless  saints  of  God. 


PART  SEVENTH. 


SOUNDING  OF  THE  LAST  THREE  OF  THE  SEVEN 

TRUMPETS— THE  THREE  WOE  TRUMPETS. 

EMBRACING  JUDGMENTS  COVERING  THIRTEEN  LATE 

CENTURIES  OF  THE  GOSPEL  AGE. 

"Woe,  Woe,  Woe  to  the  InliaUters  of  the  Earth." 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

V.  THE  FIFTH  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— THE  FIRST 

WOE— A  GREAT  SMOKE  FROM  THE  PIT 
DARKENS  THE  SUN  AND  AIR. 

MAHOMET  FILLS  THE  WORLD  WITH   CLOUDS  OJ 
REVISED  ROMANISM  AND  WOE. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

VI.  THE  SIXTH  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— THE  SEC- 
OND WOE— THE  FOUR  EUPHRATEAN-BOUND 

ANGELS  LOOSED— THE  THIRD  PART 

OF  MEN  KILLED  BY  FIRE,  SMOKE 

AND  BRIMSTONE. 

DIVINE    JUDGMENTS— DESTRUCTION    OF    THE 
EASTERN  EMPIRE. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

VII.  THE  SEVENTH  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— THE 

THIRD  WOE. 

DIVINE     JUDGMENTS     ON     CATHOLIC     NATIONS— 
THEIR    HIDDEN    TALENTS    OF    DELEGATED 
POWER      REVERT      TO      GOD      WHO, 
THROUGH       CHRIST,      JUDGES, 
REFORMS,    REIGNS. 
RELIGIOUS     TOLERATION     THROUGHOUT     CIVIL- 
IZATION. A   GLORIOUS   FRUITAGE. 


PART  SEVENTH. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

V.  THE  FIFTH  TEUMPET  SOUNDED— THE  FIRST 

WOE— A  GREAT  SMOKE  FROM  THE  PIT 

DARKENS  THE  SUN  AND  THE  AIR. 

MAHOMET   FILLS   THE   WORLD   WITH   CLOUDS    OF   REVISED 
ROMANISM    AND    WOE. 

Text,  Chapter  ix.  1-12. 

I.  And  the  fifth  angel  sounded,  and  I  saw  a  star  fall  from 
heaven  unto  the  earth:  and  to  him  was  given 

Moslem  Epoch    the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit. 

of  Invasion,  2.  And  he  Opened  the  bottomless  pit;  and 

A.D.  62a-i449.  there  arose  a  smoke  out  of  the  pit,  as  the 
smoke  of  a  great  furnace;  and  the  sun  and  the 

air  were  darkened  by  reason  of  the  smoke  of  the  pit. 

3.  And  there  came  out  of  the  smoke  locusts  upon  the  earth; 
and  unto  them  was  given  power,  as  the  scorpions  of  the  earth 
have  power. 

4.  And  it  was  commanded  them  that  they  should  not  hurt 
the  grass  of  the  earth,  neither  any  green  thing,  neither  any 
tree;  but  only  those  men  which  have  not  the  seal  of  God  in 
their  foreheads. 

5.  And  to  them  it  was  given  that  they  should  not  kill  them,  . 
but  that  they  should  be  tormented  five  months:  and  their  tor- 
ment w«s  as  the  torment  of  a  scorpion,  when  he  striketh  a  man. 

6.  And  in  those  days  shall  men  seek  death,  and  shall  not 
find  it;  and  shall  desire  to  die,  and  death  shall  flee  from  them. 

7.  And  the  shapes  of  the  locusts  u:cre  like  unto  horses 
prepared  unto  battle;  and  on  their  heads  tcere  as  it  were  crowns 
like  gold,  and  their  faces  ivcrc  as  the  faces  of  men. 

373 


374  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION,     [part  Vll. 

8.  And  they  had  hair  as  the  hair  of  women,  and  their  teeth 
were  as  the  teeth  of  lions. 

9.  And  they  had  breastplates,  as  it  were  breastplates  of 
iron;  and  the  sound  of  their  wings  ^oas  as  the  sound  of  chariots 
of  many  horses  running  to  battle. 

10.  And  they  had  tails  like  unto  scorpions,  and  there  were 
stings  in  their  tails:  and  their  power  was  to  hurt  men  five 
months. 

11.  And  they  had  a  king  over  them,  who  is  the  angel  of  the 
bottomless  pit,  whose  name  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  is  Abaddon, 
but  in  the  Greek  tongue  hath  his  name  ApoUyon. 

12.  One  woe  is  past;  and,  behold,  there  come  two  woes 
more  hereafter. 

• 
J  ^EEE  we  have  a  second  fallen  star,  and  with  little 
<:»"^-^  less  to  identify  it  than  in  the  case  of  Constan- 
V«)  tine,  who  so  oj^enly  and  loudly  professed  a 
divine  call  and  conversion.  And  everything  in  connection 
with  this  star  and  trumpet  points  to  Mohammed  and 
Mohammedanism — the  great  scourge,  "plague"  and  "woe" 

of  Christendom  and  the  world  for  more 
Mohammed  ^-^an  five  ceuturies.     At  first  thought,  it 

Knew  of  the        j^^y  appear  strange  that  one  so  false  as 
Gospel.  ^]^g  author  of  the  Koran  could  be  termed 

an  "angel"  in  any  sense,  or  be  said  to 
"fall  from  heaven."  But  if  we  consider,  Mohammed  had 
opportunities  to  know  God  and  Christ,  equal  to  those  of 
Constantino,  and  was  an  equally  great  religious  teacher. 
Though  born  in  Mecca,  in  the  interior  of  Arabia,  he  had 
traveled,  when  a  youth,  with  his  uncle  on  a  commercial 
expedition  into  Syria;  and  while  there  had  been  enter- 
tained in  one  of  the  Christian  monasteries,  and  had  re- 
ceived marked  attention  from  some  of  the  "fathers,"  and 
such  instruction  as  gave  him,  at  that  time,  confidence  in 
the  Scriptures  and  in  Christ.     This  passage  is  found  in 


CHAP.  XXVIII.]       PIFTH  TRUMPE'T — FIRST  WOE.  375 

the  Koran,  the  book  of  his  pretended  revelations  (Chap.  iii. 
40 — as  cited  in  Abbott's  Hist,  of  Chris.): — 

"Verily  Christ  Jesus,  the  son  of  Mary,  is  the  Apostle  of 
God,  and  his  word,  which  he  conveyed  unto 

His  Testimony    Mary,    and    a    Spirit    proceeding    from    him; 

in  the  Koran,  honorable  in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to 
come,  and  one  of  those  who  approach  near  to 

the  presence  gf  God."    (Page  391.     Also  Gibbon,  Vol.  v.,  p.  108.) 

Mr.  Abbott  says  of  him: — 

"Mohammed,  like  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  accepted  both  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments  as  of  divine  origin.  He  professed 
the  most  profound  respect  for  both  Moses  and  Jesus  as  pro- 
phets sent  from  God." — I^- 

"He  assumed  that  the  Jewish  religion  was  from  God, 
but  that  its  end  was  accomplished;  that  Christianity  was 
true,  a  divine  revelation,  but  that,  having  fulfilled  the 

purpose  for  which  it  was  proclaimed,  it 
Abbott  on  ^^gg  j^q^^  ^q  p^gg  away,  and  give  place  to 

his  Open  g^  third  and  final  revelation,  which  God 

Blasphemy.         j^g^^j  revcaled  to  Mohammed,  his  prophet, 

and  which,  as  the  perfection  of  divine 
wisdom,  was  to  endure  forever." — lb.,  p.  389. 

Chesney  says,  "Muhammad  announced  that  he  was 

about  to  restore  the  true  religion  of  Adam, 
Chesney.  through   ISToah,   Abraham,   Moses,   Jesus, 

and  the  prophets."  {Expedition  to  the 
Euphj-ates^  Vol.  ii.,  p.  451.) 

Sir  James  Porter,  in  speaking  of  a  certain  ' '  text  of 

Muhammad,"  calling  him  "the  Sent 
Porter.  ^f  Q^^^  gggl  of  ^^  thg  Prophets,"  says  the 

Turks  "acknowledge  two  prophets,  Moses 
and  Christ;  but  the  Comforter  promised  by  the  latter,  they 
suppose  to  be  Muhammad."  {Turkey:  Its  Hist,  and  Prog., 
Vol.  ii.,  pp.  70,  71.)     Abbott  also  mentions  this  claim  to 


376  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION,     [part  VII. 

being  the  promised  Paraclete ^^  or  Comforter  of    1  John 
XV.  20. 

Mohammed  seems  to  have  planned  for  himself  an 
office  superior  to  that  of  the  Roman  pontilf,  Moses,  or 
Jesus.  He  was  of  a  contemplative  mind,  and  after  his 
marriage,  at  about  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  to  a  wealthy 
widow,  who  made  him  independent,  and  afforded  him 
abundant  opportunity  for  study  and  meditation,  he  used 
daily  to  retire  to  a  cave  to  be  alone,  as  he  said,  with  God. 
Here  he  claimed  to  have  visions,  and  revelations  from 
heaven.  He  said  that  a  copy  of  the  Koran  "bound  in 
silk  and  precious  stones,  was  brought  by  the  angel  Gabriel 
to  the  lowest  heaven,  and  revealed  to  him  by  chapters  and 
verses.  These  fragments  were  produced  at  the  discretion 
of  Mohammed."  And  Gibbon  says,  "each  revelation  is 
suited  to  the  emergencies  of  his  policy,  or  passions;  and 
all  contradiction  is  removed  by  the  saving  maxim  that  any 
text  of  Scripture  is  abrogated,  or  modified,  by  any  sub- 
sequent passages"!  (Vol.  v.,  pp.  109, 110.)  But  it  was  not 
until  Mohammed  was  about  forty  years  of  age  that  he 
began  to  teach  his  ^extravagant  falsehoods. 

Gibbon's  description  of  "the  prophet"  shows  what  a 
star  of  light  he  might  have  been  in  benighted  Arabia,  on 
his  return  from  travel,  had  he  meditated  upon,  and  caught, 
the  true  revelations  of  God  as  he  had  received  them,  leav- 
ing himself  out  of  the  story.     It  is  as  follows: — 

"According  to  the  traditions  of  his  companions,  Mohammed 
was  distinguished  by  the  beauty  of  his  person. 
Gibbon  on  Before   he   spoke,   the   orator   engaged   on   his 

His  Natural  side   the    affections    of   a   pubHc    or   a    private 

Lea«lersiiip.  audience:     they     applauded     his     corrimanding 

presence,  his  majestic  aspect,  his  piercing  eyes, 
his    gracious    smile,    his    flowing    beard,    his    countenance    that 
painted  every  sensation  of  the  soul,   and  his  gestures  that  en- 
forced each  expression  of  the  tongue.  .  .  .  The  son  of  Abdallah 
*  See  this  word  defined,  page  151  (note.) 


CHAP.  XXVIII.]         FIFTH  TRUMPE'T — FIRST  WOE.  .  377 

was  educated  in  the  bosom  of  the  noblest  race,  in  the  use  of 
the  purest  dialect,  and  the  fluency  of  his  speech  was  corrected 
and  enhanced  by  the  practice  of  discreet  and  seasonable  silence. 
With  these  powers  of  eloquence,  Mohammed  was  an  illiterate 
barbarian.  His  youth  had  never  been  instructed  in  the  arts  of 
reading  and  writing.  The  common  ignorance  exempted  him 
from  shame  and  reproach;  but  he  was  reduced  to  a  narrow 
circle  of  existence,  and  deprived  of  those  faithful  mirrors  which 
reflect  to  our  minds  the  minds  of  sages  and  heroes." — Vol.  V., 
pp.    loi,   102. 

De  Besse  confirms  this  view  tliat  Mohammed  had 
been  enlightened.     He  says: — 

"He  had  framed  (his  legislation)  after  the  ancient  law:  this 

conformity  with  the  holy  books  of  Moses  en- 

De  Besse  on        abled  the  son  of  Abdallah  the  more  efifectually 

His  Plan.  ^q  impress  upon  the  Arabs  a  firm  belief  in  the 

mission  which  he  pretended  to  have  received 

from  God." — TurMsh  Empire,  p.  38. 

Besides,  "Mohammed,  when  he  first  arrived  at  Medina 
....  directed  his  disciples  to  pray  towards  Jernsalem, 
which  he  used  to  call  the  Holy  City,  the  City  of  the 
Prophets;"  but  he  soon  repealed  that  law,  and  required  the 
faithful  to  pray  with  their  faces  toward  Mecca.  (See 
Bush's  Life  of  Mohammed,  p.  120.) 

From  all  this  it  does  not  require  a  fertile  imagination 
to  discover  in  Mohammed  a  fallen  '"star,"  light,  or  teacher 
— an  apostate. 

"And  to  him  was  given  the  key  of  the  bottom- 
less pit." — A  key  is  the  symbol  of  power.  Jesus  has  the 
"keys  of  death  and  hades;"  and  the  "key  of  David"  is  "on 
his  shoulder" — the  poiver  of  David,  since  he  heired  his 
throne;  and  the  poiver  to  raise  the  dead,  etc.  The  power 
to  open  and  bring  "smoke"  out  of  the  pit  is  given  this 
apostate.  But  what  is  the  "bottomless  pit"?  We  have 
seen  that  heaven  symbolizes  an  exalted  position  of  author- 
ity, light  and  truth;  while  earth,  as  in  nature,  is  a  sub- 


37^  DIVINE   K^Y   OF  THE   REVBl,ATlON.     fpART  Vll. 

ordinate  position,  on  the  same  lines.  Each  represents 
a  fixed  system  in  contrast — the  "kingdom  of  heaven"  with 
the  "kingdom  of  this  world."  So  the  pit  here  must  sym- 
bolize a  system,  a  kingdom  of  darkness — subterranean, 
hidden,  mysterious ;  "bottomless,"  having  no  foundation  in 
truth.  In  this  connection  it  must  stand  for  the  great 
Roman  or  Latin  system,  which  gave  the  world  the  "dark 
ages;"  under  which  "the  Scriptures  died  out  of  the  world's 
memory;"  whose  loudest  bulls  have  been  launched  against 
Bible  societies:  it  is  well  organized,  but  an  abyss  of  tradi- 
tion, superstition,  vain  show,  and  heathen  forms;  "mys- 
tery," confusion  and  darkness;  no  light  of  God  is  in  it; 
it  has  no  basis  or  foundation  in  truth;  it  is  bottomless. 

"And  he  opened  the  pit;  and  there  arose  a 
smoke  out  of  the  pit,  as  the  smoke  of  a  great  fur- 
nace."— Mohammed  opened  the  Roman  pit,  drew  his  in- 
spiration from  Romanism,  and  built  his  whole  system  upon 
the  false  foimdation  they  had  laid — the  doctrine  of 
the  natural  immortality  of  the  soul ;  heaven-  and  hell- 
re  v/ards  after  death;  the  merit  of  human  works  through 
which  souls  would  be  assigned  at  death  to  paradise,  purga- 
tory or  hell;  the  merit  of  human  intercession  for  detained 
souls — not  the  pope's  intercession,  but  Mohammed's.  In 
all  these  particulars  and  others,  Mohammedanism  was  a 
complete  reduplication  of  Romanism.  (See  Bush's  Life 
of  Mohammed,  Goodrich's  Religious  Ceremonies,  pp.  134- 
136,  or  the  Koran.) 

Smoke  in  nature  clouds  or  entirely  obscures  vision, 
according  to  its  density.  So  do  falsehood,  tradition  and 
superstition  cloud  and  obscure  mental  and  spiritual  vision, 
according  to  the  boldness  of  departure  from  the  pure  Word 
of  God.  This  metaphoric  smoke  was  to  be  a  great  one; 
and  so  it  was:  the  good  Moslem  would  find  corresponding 
degrees  of  happiness  in  Paradise,  according  to  faithful- 


CHAP.  XXVIII  ]  FIFTH   TRUMPET — FIRST   WOE.  379 

ncss  to  their  prophet  and  his  doctrines.  On  entering 
Paradise  they  would  find  water  that  would  quench  thirst 
forever;  seventy-two  wives  of  the  "beautiful  black-eyed 
maidens,"  and  servants,  without  restriction!  The  resur- 
rection of  the  body  would  at  last  be  brought  about  by 
forty  days  of  rain  on  the  earth.  For  the  Moslem  had  no 
Eedeemer  but  his  own  good  works.  There  is  but  one 
God,  and  Mahomet  is  His  prophet.  God  not  having  been 
begotten,  never  Himself  begat  a  son:  Jesus,  like  Abraham 
and  Moses,  was  only  a  prophet  now  superseded  by  Moham- 
med. 

'"The  sword,'  says  the  Koran,  'is  the  key  of  heaven  and 
hell.  A  drop  of  blood  shed  in  the  cause  of  God,  a  night  spent 
in  arms,  is  of  more  avail  than  two  months  of  fasting  and  prayer. 
Whosoever  falls  in  battle,  his  sins  are  forgiven.  At  the  day  of 
judgment  his  wounds  shall  be  resplendent  as  vermilion,  and 
odoriferous  as  musk,  and  the  loss  of  limbs  shall  be  supplied 
by  the  wings  of  angels  and  cherubim.'  The  intrepid  souls  of 
the  Arabs  were  fired  with  enthusiasm:  the  picture  of  the  in- 
visible world  was  strongly  painted  on  their  imagination;  and 
the  death  which  they  always  desired  became  an  object  of  hope 
and  desire."     (Gibbon,  Vol.  v.,  p.  130.) 

Was  not  all  that  a  "great  smoke"  in  the  eyes  of  men's 
understanding?  But  notice  its  greatness  as  regards  con- 
quests:— 

"Before  the  death  of  Mahomet,  he  had  become  master  of 
all  Arabia;  had  extended  his  conquests  to  the 
Ma-homet's  borders    of   the    Greek   and    Persian    empires; 

Conqnests.  ^^fj   rendered   his   name   formidable   to   those 

once  mighty  kingdoms.  .  .  .  His  throne  was 
now  firmly  established;  and  an  impulse  given  to  the  Arabian 
nations,  which  induced  them  to  invade,  and  enabled  them  to 
conquer,  a  large  portion  of  the  globe.  India,  Persia,  the  Greek 
empire,  the  whole  of  Asia  Minor,  Egypt,  Barbary,  and  Spain, 
were  eventually  reduced  by  their  victorious  arms.  Mahomet 
himself  did  not,  indeed,  live  to  see  such  mighty  conquests 
achieved,  but  he  commenced  the  train  which  resulted  in  this 


38o  DIVINE    KEY   OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.     [part  vil. 

widespread  dominion;  and  before  his  death,  had  established  over 
the  whole  of  Arabia,  and  some  parts  of  Asia,  the  religion 
which  he  had  devised." — BeUi/ioiis  Cvremonics,  p.  122. 

"And  the  sun  and  the  air  were  darkened  by 
the  SMOKE  of  the  pit."— Is  not  a  bookful  of  such  ab- 
surdities as  are  quoted  above,  accepted  by  millions,  and 
propagated  by  indomitable  zeal  by  a  powerful  empire, 
enough  to  darken  the  light  of  the  Gospel  sun,  and  fill  the 
spiritual  atmosphere  of  the  world  with  smoke?  The  air 
is  the  life  element  in  nature;  and  therefore  symbolizes 
the  ecclesiastical  or  religious  world — the  Church,  the  same 
as  heaven.  The  two  words  are  iised  interchangeably  in 
the  New  Testament:  as  "the  birds  of  the  air,"  and  "the 
birds  of  heaven.''  Smoke  rises  in  the  air,  and  floats  away 
over  the  fields.  So  Mohammedanism  rose  in  the  religious 
or  moral  atmosphere,  and  spread  out  like  clouds  of  smoke 
and  darkness  over  the  world.  And  so  great  was  this  dark- 
ness, that  it  could  not  be  overlooked  in  prophecy. 

CENTURIES    OF    MOSLEM    WAR    AND    WOE. 

"And  there  came  out  of  the  smoke  locusts 
upon  the  earth. "-^The  locusts  come  characteristically 
in  great  numbers;  and  they  represent  the  most  dreadful 
scourges  God  has  ever  brought  upon  any  people  as  judg- 
ments— "My  gi-eat  army  which  I  sent  among  you,"  said 
God  of  them  and  the  caterpillar  of  Joel  ii.  25.  They  were 
one  of  the  ten  plagues  of  Egypt — "very  grievous."'  "They 
covered  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  so  that  the  land  was 
darkened  .  .  .  and  there  remained  not  any  green  thing  in 
the  trees,  or  in  the  herb  of  the  field,  through  all  the  land 
of  Egypt."  (Ex.  X.  14,  15.)  These  locusts  symbolized  the 
Mohammedan  armies.  Of  their  immense  numbers  Gib- 
bon uses  the  terms  "millions,"  and  "myriads,"  as  I  will 
quote  later  (under  verse  16). 


CHAP.Xxviir.]  FIFTH  TRUMPKT— FIRST   WOE.  38 1 

Keith,  in  his  Signs  of  the  Tinies,  has  this  quotation: — 

"While  Chosroes  of  Persia  was  pursuing  his  dreams  of 
recovering  and  enlarging  the  empire  of  Cyrus,  and  Heraclius 
was  gallantly  defending  the  empire  of  the  Caesars  against  him; 
while  idolatry  and  metaphysics  were  diffusing  their  baleful  in- 
fluence through  the  Church  of  Christ,  [(Remanding  judgments] 
and  the  simplicity  and  purity  of  the  Gospel  were  nearly  lost 
beneath  the  mythology  which  occupied  the  place  of  that  of 
ancient  Greece  and  Rome,  the  seeds  of  a  new  empire  and  of 
a  new  religion  were  sown  in  the  inaccessible  deserts  of  Arabia." 
— Outlines  of  Hist.,  p.   168. 

Keitti  also  quotes  the  following  from  Gibbon: — 
"While  the  emperor  [Heraclius]  triumphed  at  Constan- 
tinople or  Jerusalem,  an  obscure  town  on  the  confines  of  Syria 
was  pillaged  by  the  Saracens,  and  they  cut  in  pieces  some 
troops  who  advanced  to  its  relief  [A.D.  629] — an  ordinary  and 
trifling  occurrence,  had  it  not  been  the  prelude  of  a  mighty 
revolution.  These  robbers  were  the  apostles  of  Mahomet;  their 
fanatical  valor  had  emerged  from  the  desert;  and  in  the  last 
eight  years  of  his  reign,  Heraclius  lost  to  the  Arabs  the  same 
provinces  which  he  had  rescued  from  the  Persians." 

Thus  they  overran  the  empire,  like  the  armies  of  the 
plague  locusts,  conquering  everything  before  them. 

"And  unto  them  was  given  power  as  scor- 
pions."— Bush  says  "their  attacks  were  speedj' and  vig- 
orous; and  Gibbon  uses  the  terms  "'deadly  vcnonr  and  ^'in- 
veteracy" in  characterizing  their  revenge.  The  Historian 
Abbott  (J.  S.  C.)  uses  this  language: — 

"Immediately  after  the  death   of   Mohammed,  his   disciples 
pushed  their  conquests  with    amazing    energy. 
*'*■*■'**  In  the  course  of  a  few  centuries  they  over-ran 

Conquests.  all  of  Egypt  and  of  Asia  Minor,  and  established 

the  most  stern  and  unrelenting  despotism  earth 
has  ever  known.  Their  military  organization  and  prowess  were 
such,  that  they  could  bring  into  the  field  a  more  powerful  army 

than  any  other  nation Through  years  of  blood  and  tvoe, 

these  Moslem  assaults  were  continued.     The  conquering  armies 
of  the  prophet  took  all  of  Asia,  Egypt,  Africa  and  Greece.    They 


382  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION,     [part  Vll. 

crossed  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  from  Africa  into  Spain,  over- 
ran the  whole  Spanish  Peninsula,  and  hung  like  «  black  cloud 
upon  the  northern  cliffs  of  the  Pyrenees,  threatening  the  prov- 
inces of  France.  They  swept  both  banks  of  the  Danube  to  the 
walls  of  Vienna.  The  Austrian  royal  family  Red 
Fear  of  the  at  midnight.  It  seemed  inevitable  that  all 
Austrian  Europe  was  to  be  overrun  by  the  Moslems,  and 

Bmpire.  that  all  Christendom  was  to    be    cut    down    by 

their  bloody  cimeters.     .     . 

"At  one  time,  the  Austrian  Ambassador  at  Constantinople 
wrote  to  the  Emperor  Ferdinand  in  Vienna, — 

"When  I  compare  the  power  of  the  Turks  with  oyr  own,  the 
consideration  fills  me  with  dismay.  I  see  not  how  we  can  resist 
the  destruction  which  awaits  us.  They  possess  great  wealth, 
strength  unbroken,  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  arts  of  war,  pati- 
ence, union,  frugality,  and  a  constant  state  of  preparation. 

'On  our  side  are  exhausted  finances  and  universal  luxury. 
Our  National  spirit  is  broken  by  mutinuous  soldiers,  mercenary 
officers,  licentiousness,  intemperance,  and  a  total  contempt  of 
military  discipline.  Is  it  possible  to  doubt  how  such  an  unequal 
conflict  must  terminate?  The  all-conquering  Mussulmans  will 
soon  rush  with  undivided  strength,  and  overwhelm  all  Europe  as 
well  as  all  Germany.'  " — Hist.  Chris.,  pp.  393-396. 

I  have  quoted  at  length;,  to  impress  our  minds  with  the 
Eevelator's  apt  and  tivid  picture  of  the  rush  and  devasta- 
tion of  an  army  of  all-devouring  locusts — locusts  to  which 
were  given  the  power  of  scorpions.  And  if  I  were  to 
quote  all  of  Gibbon's  statements,  every  line  would  be  a 
commentary,  in  some  sense,  upon  the  text  of  the  fifth  and 
sixth  trumpets. 

"And  it  was  commanded  them  that  they 
should  not  hurt." — This  shows  the  locusts  to  represent 
an  intelligent  agency,  with  the  power  of  self-restraint,  as 
well  as  being  a  powerful  army  for  action. 

"The  grass  of  the  earth,  neither  any  green 
thing,  neither  any  tree." — /.  e.,  do  not  hurt  genuine 
Christians.     The  grass,  and  other  vegetation,  and  trees 


CHAP.  XXVIII,]  FIFTH  TRUMPET — FIRST  WOE.  383 

would  seem  to  represent  the  common  people  of  the  em- 
pire— the  masses,  or  multitudes,  in  contrast  with  the 
"men"  of  the  clause  which  follows,  that  would  be  compara- 
tively few  in  numbers;  while  the  green  grass,  etc.,  would 
represent  the  life  of  the  earth,  and  so  the  Church  of 
Christ. 

"  But  only  those  men  who  have  not  the  seal 
of  Grod  in  their  foreheads." — I  will  treat  this  text  first 
in  a  general  way,  and  notice  the  ''men,"  particularly, 
later.  The  Moslems  were  very  quick  to  discover  the  differ- 
ence between  an  honest  faith  and  a  dishonest  profession. 
Gibbon  says:  "To  his  Christian  subjects,  Mahomet  readily 
granted  the  security  of  their  persons.  .  .  .  and  the  tolera- 
tion of  their  religion.''  {Dec.  and  Fall,  Vol.  v.,  p.  142.) 
And  notice  the  following  "command": — 

Eemarkable  injuntion  of  the  caliph  ABUBEKER  TO 

YEZID  UPON  SETTING  OUT  ON  THE  EXPEDITION 
AGAINST  SYRIA,  THE  FIRST  UNDERTAKING  OF  THE 
SARACENS   IN  THE  WAY   OF   FOREIGN   CONQUESTS. 

It  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  these  instructions 
have  been  preserved  under  the  providence  of  God,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  furnishing  an  illustration  of  this  proph- 
etic text: — 

'Remember  [said  Abubeker]  that  you  are  always  in  the 
presence  of  God,  on  the  verge  of  death,  in  the  assurance  of 
judgment,  and  the  hope  of  Paradise.  When  you  fight  the  bat- 
tles of  the  Lord  acquit  yourselves  like  men  without  turning 
your  backs;  but  let  not  your  victories  be  stained  with  the  blood 
of  women  and  children.  Destroy  no  palm-trees,  nor  burn  any 
fields  of  corn.  Cut  down  no  fruit  trees,  nor  do  any  mischief 
to  cattle,  only  such  as  you  kill  to  eat.  When  you  make  any 
covenant,  stand  to  it,  and  be  as  good  as  your  word.  As  you  go 
on,  you  will  find  some  religious  persons  who  live  retired  in 
religious  monasteries,  and  propose  to  themselves  to  serve  God 
that  way:  let  them  alone,  and  neither  kill  them  nor  destroy  their 
monasteries.     And  you  will   find  another  sort   of  people,   that 


384  DIVINE    KEY    OF    THE    REVELATION.    [PART  VII. 

belong  to  the  synagogue  of  satan,  who  have  shaven  crowns: 
be  sure  you  cleave  their  skulls,  and  give  them  no  quarter  till 
they  embrace  the  true  faith  or  pay  tribute.' — Oakley's  Hist,  of 
the  Saracens. 

"It  has  accordingly  been  noticed  that  those  parts  of  the 
Roman  empire  which  were  left  untouched  by  these  Saracen 
hordes,  were  those  in  which  it  appears  from  history  the  remnant 
of  the  true  Church  of  God  was  still  found  residing:  they  were 
only  to  hurt  the  men  who  had  not  the  mark  of  God  in  their 
foreheads."— Bush's  Life  of  Mohammed,  p.  199. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    FIFTY    YEARS    OF    TORMENT    TO    THE 
GREEK    EMPIRE. 

AVe  come  now  to  consider  a  definite  period  of  Moslem 
invasion,  not  of  neighboring  states  and  provinces,  but  of 
the  empire  itself. 

"And  to  them  it  ^was  given  that  they  should 
not  kill  them,  but  that  they  should  be  tormented 
five  months." — Here  is  further  restraint  laid  upon  these 
chastising  scorpions.  God  is  giving  Jezebel  both  time 
and  occasion  "to  repent,"  as  we  saw  in  the  message  to 
Thyatira,  and  shall  fijid  in  history.  Five  months  prophetic 
time — a  day  for  a  year — equals  150  years — such  a  definite 
period  of  torment,  before  the  loss  of  national  life  and  in- 
dependence, four  years  prior  to  the  absolute  conquest  of 
Constantinople.     Gibbon  says: — 

"While  the  state  was  exhausted  by  the  Persian  war,  and 
the  Church  was  distracted  by  the  Nestorian  and  Monophysite 
sects,  Mahomet,  with  the  sword  in  one  hand  and  the  Koran 
in  the  other,  erected  his  throne  on  the  ruins  of  Christianity  and 
of  Rome.  The  genius  of  the  Arabian  prophet,  the  manners  of 
his  nation,  and  the  spirit  of  his  religion,  involve  the  causes  of  the 
decline  and  fall  of  the  eastern  empire;  and  our  eyes  are  curiously 
intent  on  one  of  the  most  memorable  revolutions  which  have 
impressed  a  new  and  lasting  character  on  the  nations  of  the 
globe." — Vol.  v.,  p.  74. 


CHAP.  XXVIII.]       FIFTH   TRUMPET — FIRST    WOE.  385 

"In  the  ten  years  of  the  administration  of  Omar,  the  Sara- 
cens reduced  to  his  obedience  36,000  cities  or  castles,  destroyed 
4,000  churches  or  temples,  and  erected  1,400  mosques  for  the 
exercise  of  the  religion  of  Mahomet.  One  hundred  years  after 
his  flight  from  Mecca,  the  arms  and  the  reign  of  his  successors 
extended  from  India  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean;"  and  "at  the  end 
of  the  first  century  of  the  hegira,  the  caliphs  were  the  most 
potent  and  absolute  monarchs  of  the  globe." — lb.,  vol.  v.,  pp. 
174,  271. 

Was  not  all  that  "torment"  to  Eome  worthy  of  proph- 
etic note?  But  Gibbon's  wonderful  historic  penetration, 
in  ignoring  prophecy  and  the  divine  pre-arrangement,  seeks 
to  explain  these  wonderful  events.  He  writes  thus — and 
it  is  remarkable  (italics,  mine)  : — 

"The   calm  historian   of  the  present  hour,   who   strives  to 
follow  the  rapid  course  of  the  Saracens,    must 
Gibbon's  study  to  explain  by  what  means  the  church  and 

Remarkable        state  were  saved  from  this  impending,  and  as 
statement.  it  should  seem  inevitable  danger.    .    .  .  In  this 

inquiry  I  shall  unfold  the  events  that  rescued 
our  ancestors  of  Britain,  and  our  neighbors  of  Gaul,  from  the 
civil  and  religious  yoke  of  the  Koran;  that  protected  the  majesty 
of  Rome,  and  DELAYED  [150  years]  the  servitude  of  Con- 
stantinople— lb.,  p.  273. 

But  back  of  the  events  which  Gibbon  finds  contribut- 
ing to  said  protection  in  the  West,  and  delay  in  the  East, 
was  this  prophetic  announcement  we  are  considering, 
which  should  also  have  been  recognized  by  Mr.  Gibbon, 
and  computed.  There  may  be  an  apparent  difficulty  con- 
cerning, or  at  least  it  is  not  very  clearly  stated,  just  where 
the  five  months  begin,  unless  we  notice  that  tliere  are  two 
instances  of  giving  power  to,  and  commanding,  the  locusts: 
the  first,  in  verses  three  and  four;  the  second  in  verse 
five — last  quoted,  and  containing  the  five-months  com- 
mand. That  the  former  relates  to  earlier  torment,  the 
latter,  to  150  years  of  final  torment,  ending  under  the 


386  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVElvATlON.     [part  VII. 

next  trumpet  with  the  killing  or  destruction  of  one-third 
part  of  the  system,  or  dynasty,  symbolized  by  those  "men 
\vho  have  not  the  seal  of  God."  For  these  "men"  do  not 
symbolize  other  individual  men,  but  rulers.  It  was  said  of 
this  last  torment,  that  it  was  as  the  torment  of  a  scorp- 
ion — 

"When  he  striketh  a  man."— If  "man"  was 
used  here  to  represent  an  individual,  merely,  it  would  have 
been  more  natural  to  say,  When  he  striketh  a  person — if 
a  man,  a  woman,  or  a  child.  But  man  at  creation  was 
given  dominion  and  rule  over  every  subsequent  creation; 
and  used  in  this  emphatic  manner  here,  must  symbolize 
the  power,  the  empire.  The  earlier  torment  was  through 
attacks  upon  the  people  of  the  provinces,  and  not  so  dang- 
erous to  the  life  of  the  empire  itself;  the  later — as  when 
"he  striketh  a  man" — was  through  attacks  directly  upon  the 
empire  itself.  Mr.  Gibbon  marks  the  day  of  the  first  at- 
tack, and  providentially,  since  the  period  of  the  sixth 
tnmipet  (ix.  15)  ends  with  a  definite  day.  Notice  how 
God  guided  the  infidel  pen  to  assist  the  student  of  proph- 
ecy.    He  says, — 

Definite  Date  "jt  was  on  the  21tli   of   July,  in   the  year 

tor  the  Period.  1299  of  the  Christian  era,  that  Othman  first  in- 
vaded the  territory  of  Nicomedia;  and  the  sin- 
gular accuracy  of  the  date  seems  to  disclose  some  foresight  of 
the  rapid  and  destructive  growth  of  the  monster." — Decline  and 
Fall,  etc.,  Vol  vi.,  p.  226. 

The  great  calif  Othman  had,  for  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  the  Prophet's  followers,  united  the  various 
Moslem  tribes  into  one  great  empire,  since  known  as  the 
"Ottoman  Empire;"  and  now  his  soldiers  had  made  the 
first  direct  assault  on  the  Greek  Empire.  De  Besse  has 
this  significant  passage: — 


CHAP.  XXVIII.]         FIFTH  TRUMPET — FIRST  WOE.  387 

"It  was  Osman  [Othman],  in  effect,  who  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  a  poHtical  and  religious  state  in 
De  Besse's  Pen  Turkey,  and  who,  by  his  conquests,  extended 
Notes  tiie  Time,  the  bound  of  his  hardy,  nascent,  and  yet 
limited  empire  to  the  shores  of  the  Black 
Sea.  Such  were  the  beginnings  of  the  Ottoman  Empire  in 
1299.  One  hundred  and  fifty  years  elapsed  before  it  was  securely 
established  by  the  taking  of  Constantinople.— ^/le  Turkish 
Empire,  p.  47. 

The  150  years  then  would  expire  July  27,  1449.  That 
was  the  year  in  which  Constantine  Paleologus,  on  the  death 
of  his  uncle,  John  Paleologus  II.,  came  to  the  Greek 
throne.  But  at  that  time  the  empire  was  so  weakened, 
and  the  Ottoman  Power  so  strong  and  menacing,  that  the 
Greeks  thought  it  policy  to  secure  the  Sultan's  endorsement 
of  Constantine,  as  against  his  rival  brother,  and  did  so, 
before  he  assumed  the  crown.     Gibbon  says: — 

"An  ambassador,  the  historian  Phranza,  was  immediately 
despatched  to  the  court  of  Adrianople.  Amurath  received  him 
with  honor,  and  dismissed  him  with  gifts;  but  the  gracious 
approbation  of  the  Turkish  Sultan  announced  his  supremacy^  and 
the  approaching  downfall  of  the  Eastern  Empire." — Ih.,  p.  365. 

Henceforward  it  is  plain  that  the  emperor  is  but  the 
vassal  of  the  Sultan:  the  life  and  independence  of  his  em- 
pire is  gone;  its  ruler  and  his  four  dependent  praefects 
(governors  of  the  provinces)  are  now  to  be  killed,  i.  e., 
politically,  after  the  sounding  of  the  sixth  trumpet;  the 
new  religion  has  not  only  overcast  the  writhing  empire 
with  the  blinding  "smoke"  of  its  superstitions,  but  has 
invaded  its  territories,  and  for  150  years  tormented  it  with 
its  locust-  and  scorpion-like  armies.  Amurath  II.  had 
removed  the  foundations  of  the  Greek  throne;  and  Mo- 
hammed II.  destroyed  the  remembrance  of  it,  four  years 
later  (1453),  by  hoisting  the  Turkish  crescent  for  the  com- 
ing centuries  over  the  imperial  palace  and  city  of  Con- 


388  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.     [pART  VII. 

stantinople.  But  I  am  anticipating:  the  killing  of  the 
third  part  of  the  rulers,  or  the  entire  subversion  of  the 
Greek  portion  of  the  empire,  belongs  to  the  next  period; 
and  there  are  several  things  yet  to  consider  under  this 
tormenting  period. 

"In  those  days  shall  men  seek  death,  *  * 
and  death  shall  flee  from  them." — These  days  refer 
to  the  150  years  of  torment;  and  the  death  which  those 
"men"  or  rulers  sought  was  official  death,  through  fear  of 
their  tormentors — the  invincible  and  fanatical  califs  of 
Mohammed.  The  same  excessive  fear  is  symbolically 
manifested  under  the  sixth  seal,*  and  for  the  same  effect, 
namely,  (as  in  the  passages  noted  below)  in  order  to  a  com- 
mensurate appreciation  of  the  causes  put  in  operation — 
the  principles  of  the  Gospel  at  the  first  Advent,  the 
principles  of  the  Eeformation  under  the  sixth  seal,  and 
now  the  tormenting  Judgments  upon  Eomanism  and  the 
Greek  Empire.  Let  De  Besse  state  some  of  the  horrors 
they  suffered: — 

"Osman  himself  already  commenced  the  dismemberment  of 
the  Greek  Empire  in  possessing  himself  of 
De  Besse  Tells  several  of  the  cities  and  fortified  places  of  Asia 
of  Their  Terri-  Minor;  he  created  a  sort  of  maritime  power, 
ble  Torments,  i^y  means  of  which  he  committed  numerous 
acts  of  piracy.  In  1307  he  made  an  attempt 
upon  the  rich  and  flourishing  island  of  Chios,  with  thirty  ships, 
whose  crews  overspread  the  country,  and  massacred  a  greater 
part  of  the  inhabitants.  A  similar  fate  was  inflicted  by  turns 
on  Rhodes,  Samos,  Lemnos,  Malta,  and  other  islands  of  the 
Archipelago.  On  the  continent  the  same  acts  were  committed; 
the  towns  were  pillaged  and  burned,  and  the  inhabitants  put  to 
death." — Turkish  Empire,  p.  47. 

"Every   year   a   thousand    Christian    children    were    chosen 
from  the  prisoners   of  war,   who  were  forced  to   embrace  the 
faith  of  the  prophet,  and  learn  the  art  of  war.     When  the  num- 
*  See  on  Isa.  ii.  19 ;  Hos  x.  8 ;  Lu  xxiii.  30,  pages  238-241. 


CHAP.  XXVIII  ]       Fifth  T'RUMPEI' — first  woe.  389 

ber  of  prisoners  was  insufficient,  the  deficiency  was  made  up 
by  a  recruitment  among  the  children  of  the  Christians." — lb., 
P-  52. 

"While  the  Ottoman  Empire  was  extending  its  limits  to 
the  West  and  South,  as  far  as  Armenia  and  Caramania,  every- 
where gaining  battles  and  capturing  fortresses,  it  was  no  less 
successful  to  the  North  and  East.  Its  arms  prevailed  in  Hun- 
gary and  Croatia,  and  its  victorious  legions  returned  loaded  with 
booty.  The  Turkish  cavalry  overran  Croatia,  Styria,  Carniola 
and  Carinthia;  and  these  incursions  were  renewed  every  year, 
to  the  terror  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  ruin  and  desolation  of 
the  country.  In  1471,  this  branch  of  the  Ottoman  troops  cov- 
ered all  Croatia  with  fire  and  blood,  carried  ofif  the  cattle,  and 
conducted  into  slavery  more  than  20,000  persons.  Carinthia 
and  Carinola  underwent  the  same  fate." — lb.,  p.  81. 

"And  the  shapes  of  the  locusts  were  like  unto 
horses  prepared  unto  battle." — The  description  now 
is  symbolic  of  an  army,  or  armies  of  cavahy:  he  is  describ- 
ing their  appearance,  here;  before  their  destructiveness, 
and  great  numbers.  Arabia  is  the  home  of  the  horse,  it 
is  said.  And  it  is  certain  that  the  Moslem  armies  were 
mostly  cavalry.  Speaking  of  the  pastoral  life  of  the 
Arabs,  Gibbon  says: — 

"The  care  of  the  sheep  and  camels  is  abandoned  to  the 
women  of  the  tribe;  but  the  martial  youth 
Turkish  under  the  banner  of  the  emir  is  ever  on  horse- 

Horsemen,  back,  and  in  the  field  to  practice  the  exercise 

of  the  bow,  the  javelin  and  the  cimeter." — 
Vol.    v.,   p.    83. 

"As  the  subject  nations  marched  under  the  standard  of  the 
Turks,  their  cavalry,  both  men  and  horses,  were  proudly  com- 
puted by  the  millions" 

"Twenty-five  years  after  the  death  of  Basil,  his  successors 
were  suddenly  assaulted  by  an  unknown  race  of  barbarians, 
who  united  the  Scythian  valor  with  the  fanatism  of  new  prose- 
lytes, and  the  art  and  riches  of  a  powerful  monarchy.  The 
myriads  of  Turkish  horse  overspread  a  frontier  of  six  hundred 
miles,    from    Taurus    to    Azeroum,    and    the    blood    of    130,000 


390  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION        parT  Vll. 

Christians  was  a  grateful  sacrifice  to  the  Arabian  prophet.  Yet 
the  arms  of  Togrul  did  not  make  any  deep  or  lasting  impression 
on  the  Greek  empire."     (Vol.  v.,  pp.  511,  512.) 

This  last  statement  will  remind  the  reader  of  the  re- 
straint that  at  this  period  limits  their  work  to  torme7iting 
the  empire. 

"And  on  their  heads  were  as  it  were  crowns 
Hke  gold." — A  reference  to  the  yellow  turbans  always 
worn  hy  the  Arabs.  For  "horses  prepared  unto  battle" 
would  include  the  rider,  who  wore  the  turban  like  a  crown, 
and  yellow  "like  gold."  We  should  understand  that  the 
Revelator  is  describing  what  he  had  never  seen  in  real 
life — an  army  of  Arab  horsemen,  with  their  peculiar  attire, 
armor,  fierce  demeanor,  and  rush  of  battle  and  destruction; 
for  the  historian,  also,  has  mentioned  the  rapid  movement 
of  Arabian  horses  in  flight  or  pursuit:  "No  sooner,"  he 
says,  "do  they  feel  the  touch  of  the  hand  or  the  stirrup, 
than  they  dart  away  with  the  swiftness  of  the  wind." 
(Gibbon,  vol.  v.,  p.  79.)  And  in  speaking  of  a  Greek 
victory  when,  "in  three  laborious  campaigns,  the  Turks 
M'erc  driven  beyond  the  Euphrates,"  Gibbon  says:  "On  the 
report  of  this  bold  invasion.  Alp  Arsland  Hezv  to  the  scene 
of  action  at  the  head  of  40,000  horse.  His  rapid  and  skil- 
ful evolutions  distressed  and  dismayed  the  Greeks."  Etc. 
(Vol.  v.,  pp.  514,  515.)  Still  more  were  these  rushing 
squadrons  perplexing  and  startling  to  the  Seer  of  Patmos, 
ten  centuries  earlier.  Tlie  whole  was  a  mysterious  or 
strange  scene  to  a.  mild  and  inoffensive  Jew.  But  how 
wonderfully  true  it  all  was  to  the  facts  of  history,  when 
we  compare  them.  As  these  rushing  armies  dash  across 
the  field  of  symbolic  vision,  the  Eevelator  gathers  up  the 
dim  details  of  the  whole  appearance. 

"Their  faces  were  as  the  faces  of  men." — 
"Men"  seem  to  be  used  literally,  here,  because  in  contrast 


CHAP,  xxviri.]         FIF'TH  TRUMPET — FIRST  WOE.  39 1 

with  women  and  lions,  as  we  will  see,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  general  identification.  (See  illustrative  examples,  p. 
29.)  A  passage  from  Gibbon  will  illustrate  this  reference. 
He  says,  "The  gravity  and  firmness  of  the  Arab  is  con- 
spicuous in  his  outzvard  demeanor,  .  .  .  his  only  gesture 
is  that  of  stroking  the  beard,  the  venerable  symbol  of  man- 
hood."    (Vol.  v.,  p.  86.) 

"  Their  hair  was  as  the  hair  of  women." — The 
Arabs,  like  the  Chinese,  wore  their  hair  braided  and  hang- 
ing in  long  cues  down  their  backs. 

"Their  teeth  were  as  the  teeth  of  lions." — 
Having  reference,  doubtless,  to  their  fierceness  and  de- 
structiveness  of  character.  Gibbon  speaks  of  the  "fer- 
ocious Bedoweens,  the  terror  of  the  desert,"  and  says: — 

"The  nice  sensibility  of  honor,  which  weighs  the  insult 
rather  than  the  injury,  sheds  its  deadly  venom  on  the  quarrels 
of  the  Arabs:  the  honor  of  their  women,  and  of  their  beards  is 
most  easily  wounded;  an  indecent  act,  a  contemptuous  word, 
can  be  expiated  only  by  the  blood  of  the  offender;  and  such 
is  their  patient  inveteracy  that  they  expect  whole  months  and 
years  the  opportunity  of  revenge." — Vol.  v.,  pp.  88,  91. 

"They  had  breastplates  as  it  were  *  of  iron." 

— The  Arabs  used  breastplates,  called  cuirasses,  and  as 
early  as  the  second  battle  of  Mohammed  with  the  Koreish 
of  Mecca  (a.d.  624),  Gibbon  says,  "seven  hundred  of  them 
were  armed  with  cuirasses."     (Vol.  v.,  p.  132.) 

"The  sound  of  their  wings  was  as  the  sound 
of  chariots  of  many  horses  running  to  battle." — 
In  perfecting  the  symbolism,  and  descritjing  the  impetu- 
osity of  these  locusts — their  "speedy  and  vigorous"  attacks 
upon  their  enemies — the  Revelator  must,  necessarily,  at- 
tribute the  noisy  confusion  of  such  a  furious  onset  to  the 
"sound  of  their  zvings."  We  have  seen  that  for  ten  years 
Omar  averaged,  each  year,  a  conquest  of  3,600  cities  or 


392  divine;  kky  op  the  revelation,   [part  Vll. 

castles!  destroyed  400  churches  or  temples!  and  erected 
140  mosques  for  Mohammedan  worship!  Should  not  that 
be  called  a  ''running  to  battle"?  Bush,  in  his  history, 
characterizes  the  "astonishing  success  of  the  Saracen  arms" 
as  "a  most  terrible  scourge  upon  the  apostate  churches  in 
the  East,  and  in  other  portions  of  Christendom;"  and 
thinks  that,  as  a  judgment  agency,  nothing  short  of  a 
"providential  ordainment"  could  have  "inspired  them  to 
the  achievement  of  such  a  rapid  and  splendid  series  of 
conquests."    (Life  of  M.,  pp.  50,  51.) 

"They  had  tails  like  unto  scorpions;  and 
there  were  stings  in  their  tails :  and  their  power 
was  to  hurt  men  five  months." — The  tails  seem  to 
symbolize  the  cinieters  or  lances,  both  which  are  men- 
tioned in  the  accounts  of  their  battles:  if  belted  to  the 
side,  when  not  in  actual  use,  they  would  hang  backward, 
or  if  flourished  in  the  fury  of  battle,  they  might  seem  like 
the  caudal  lashings  of  infuriated  beasts.  These  instru- 
ments pierce  the  enemy  fatally,  like  the  sting  of  a  scorpion. 
The  five  months  have  been  already  mentioned — 150  years: 
A.D.  1299-1449.  During  this  period  they  were  only  per- 
mitted to  torment,  or  hurt,  men  or  rulers — not  to  kill,  or 
dethrone  them.  Previous  to  this,  they  were  commanded 
not  to  hurt  the  grass  or  green  trees,  as  we  have  already 
seen;  and  soon  all  restraint  is  removed — at  the  close  of 
the  five  symbolic  months — and  killing  begins. 

"And  they  had  a  king  over  them,  who  is  the 
angel  of  the  bottomless  pit." — /.  <?.,  they  had  a  king 
during  this  five  months  of  tormenting  the  rulers.  Othman, 
the  faithful  calif  and  successor  of  Mahomet,  was  the  first 
Sultan,  and  the  first  great  organizer,  or  centralizer  of  the 
Moslem  forces — founder,  as  the  quotations  show,  of  the 
Ottoman  Empire  (a.d.  1300-132G);  and  is  therefore  men- 


CHAP.  XXVIII.]  FIFTH  TRUMPET — FIRST  WOK.  393 

tioned  particularly  as  king  of  the  locusts.  As  being  the 
angel  of  the  pit,  he  was  one  of  the  foremost  promoters  of 
the  great  smoke  that  rose  Avith  Moslemism.  "On  the  verge 
of  the  Greek  Empire"  (where  Eomanism  had  ruled  and 
ruined  so  long),  says  Gibbon,  "the  Koran  sanctified  his 
ga::i,  or  holy  war,  against  the  iniidcls;  and  their  political 
errors  Unlocked  the  passes  of  Mount  Olympus,  and  invited 
him  to  descend  into  the  plains  of  Bythinia;"  which  he  did, 
as  we  have  seen,  in  July,  1399.     (Vol.  vi.,  p.  226.) 

"Whose  name  in  the  Hebrew  *  is  Abaddon, 
but  in  the  Greek,  *  *  Apollyon." — These  names 
each  denote  the,  or  a,  "destroyer."  Othman  is  termed  in 
history  "the  bonebrcaker;"  the  "sword  of  God"  and  the 
"scourge  of  the  infidels."  Thus  it  seems  that  the  Lord 
has  left  nothing  necessary  undone,  to  help  us  to  identify 
the  characters  that  figure  in  this  prophecy.  Creasy  says 
the  Sultan  formerly  was  commonly  called  ^^Hiinkiar,^^ 
the  "manslaycr" ;  and  cites  Rycant's  statement  that  "The 
Grand  Signor  can  never  be  deposed  nor  made  accountable 
to  any  for  his  crimes,  while  he  destroys  causelessly  of  his 
subjects  under  the  number  of  a  thousand  a  day." — Ottoman 
Turks,  vol.  i.,  p.  152. 

"One  woe  is  past." — And  behold,  there  come  two 
woes  more  hereafter. 


1^ 

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^goc^^^^^^^ 

^^m 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

VI.      THE     SIXTH     TEUMPET     SOUNDED— THE 
SECOND  WOE. 

THE  FOUR  EUPHRATEAN-BOUND  ANGELS  LOOSED 

—THE  THIRD  PART  OF  MEN  KILLED  BY  FIRE, 

SMOKE  AND  BRIMSTONE. 

DIVINE     JUDGMENTS — DESTRUCTION      OF     THE     EASTERN 
EMPIRE. 

Text,  Chapter  ix,  13-21. 

13.  And  the  sixth  angel  sounded,  and  I  heard  a  voice  from 
the  four  horns  of  the  golden   altar  which   is 
Evocb  o£  before  God. 

Moslem  14    Saying  to  the  sixth  angel  that  had  the 

Supremacy,  trumpet.      Loose    the    four    angels    that    are 

A.D.  1449-1840.    bound  in  the  great  river  Euphrates. 

15.  And  the  four  angels  were  loosed,  that 
were  prepared  for  an  hour,  and  a  day,  and  a  month,  and  a  year, 
for  to  slay  the  third  part  of  men. 

16.  And  the  number  of  the  army  of  the  horsemen  tvere 
two  hundred  thousand  thousand:  and  I  heard  the  number  of 
them. 

17.  And  thus  I  saw  the  horses  in  the  vision,  and  them  that 
sat  on  them,  having  breastplates  of  fire,  and  of  jacinth,  and 
brimstone:  and  the  heads  of  the  horses  were  as  the  heads  of 
lions;  and  out  of  their  mouths  issued  fire  and  smoke  and 
brimstone. 

18.  By  these  three  was  the  third  part  of  men  killed,  by  the 
fire,  and  by  the  smoke,  and  by  the  brimstone,  which  issued 
out  of  their  mouths. 

19.  For  their  power  is  in  their  tails:  for  their  tails  were 
like  unto  serpents,  and  had  heads,  and  with  them  they  do  hurt. 

394 


CHAP.  XXIX.]  SIXTH  TRUMPET — SECOND  WOE.  395 

20.  And  the  rest  of  the  men  that  were  not  killed  by  these 
plagues  yet  repented  not  of  the  works  of  their  hands,  that  they 
should  not  worship  demons,  and  idols  of  gold,  and  silver,  and 
brass,  and  stone,  and  of  wood;  which  neither  can  see,  nor 
hear,  nor  walk: 

21.  Neither  repented  they  of  their  murders,  nor  of  their 
sorceries,  nor  of  their  fornication,  nor  of  their  thefts. 

UNDEE  the  fourth  trumpet,  the  voice  came  from  the 
eagle,  the  fourth  living  creature;  this  was  helpful 
as  one  item  of  proof  in  settling  the  chronology 
of  the  voice  as  of  the  Justinian  or  "flying  eagle"  period. 
Here  the  voice  comes  from  the  four  horns  of  the  altar, 
the  next  visual  symbol  in  order,  and  points  to  the  altar 
period,  which  may  be  supposed  to  have  commenced  even 
with  the  flight  of  the  Church  from  Death  on  the  pale 
horse;  certainly  as  early  as  a.d.  1449. 

"  Saying,  *  Loose  the  four  angels  that  are 
bound  in  the  great  river  Euphrates." — The  Eu- 
phrates seems  here  to  have  a  literal  signification,  accord- 
ing to  the  principle  stated  on  page  29,  for  furnishing  a 
necessary  clue  to  the  locality  from  whence  these  torment- 
ing locusts  are  to  come.  And  when  we  are  familiar  with 
the  prophecy,  the  statements  of  history  seem  like  com- 
mentaries on  the  text.     Notice  the  following: — 

"During  several  centuries  of  almost  unbroken  hostility,  the 
Roman  empire  and  that  of  the  Persians  vainly  disputed  the 
possession  of  some  frontier  provinces  upon  the  Euphrates  and 
Tigris;  the  hour  approached  when  this  ancient  enmity  was  to 
be  buried  in  one  common  abyss,  and  those  provinces  were  to 
recognize  other  rulers,  and  submit  to  other  religion." — De  Besse 
Turkish  Emp.,  p.  38. 

It  is  very  evident  that  the  Turkish  rulers  and  the 
Moslem  religion  perfectly  answers  the  locust  army  and 
work  of   the   vision.     The   Islamic   hordes   peopled   and 


396  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVEI.ATION.     [pART  VII. 

issued  from  the  great  Euphratean  region,  and  brought  their 
torments,  their  victories,  and  their  religion  westward  over 
the  empire  of  the  "man  of  sin,"  that  merited  so  well  the 
judgments  inflicted.     Gibbon  writes  thus: — 

"The  historians  of  the  age  of  Justinian  represent  the  state 
of  the  independent  Arabs,  who  were  divided  by  interest  or 
affection  in  the  long  quarrel  of  the  East:  The  tribe  of  Gassan 
was  allowed  to  encamp  on  the  Syrian  territory:  the  princes  of 
Hira  were  permitted  to  form  a  city  about  forty  miles  south- 
ward of  the  ruins  of  Babylon.  Their  service  in  the  field  was 
speedy  and  vigorous  .  .  .  and,  in  the  familiar  intercourse  of  war, 
they  learned  to  see,  and  to  despise,  the  splendid  weakness  both 
of  Rome  and  of  Persia.  From  Mecca  to  the  Euphrates  the 
Arabian  tribes  were  confounded  by  the  Greeks  and  Latins, 
under  the  general  appellation  of  saracens,  a  name  which  every 
Christian  mouth  has  been  taught  to  pronounce  with  terror  and 
abhorrence." — Vol.   v.,   pp.   84,  85. 

"Since  the  first  conquests  of  the  caliphs,  the  establishment 
of  the  Turks  in  Anatolia  or  Asia  Minor  was  the  most  deplor- 
able loss  which  the  church  and  empire  had  sustained.  By  the 
propagation  of  the  Moslem  faith,  Soliman  deserved  the  name 
of  Gazi,  a  holy  champion;  and  his  new  kingdom  of  the  Romans, 
or  of  Roum,  was  added  to  the  tables  of  oriental  geography.  It 
is  described  as  extending  from  the  Euphrates  to  Constantinople, 
from  the  Black  Sea  to  the  confines  of  Syria;  pregnant  with 
mines  of  silver  and  iron,  of  alum  and  copper,  fruitful  in  corn 
and  wine,  and  productive  of  cattle  and  excellent  horses." — 
Vol.  v.,  p-  526. 

There  were  four  angels  or  agencies  engaged  in  the 
prophecy;   and   accordingly   we    find   the 
Fonr  Agencies    Ottoman  nation  was  really  a  mixture  of 
Identified.  Tartars,     Turks,     Arabs     and     Saracens. 

These  four  elements  are  always  recog- 
nized, however  designated.  One  writer,  speaking  of  Asia 
Minor, — Anatolia  (Turkish  Anadolia) — says:  "Here  took 
place  the  wars  of  the  Greeks  with  the  Persians;  of  the 
Romans  with  Mithridates  and  the  Parthians;  of  the  Arabs, 


CHAP.  XXIX.]        SIXTH   TRUMPET — SECOND   WOE.  397 

Scljuks,  Mongols  and  Osmons  with  the  weak  Byzantine 
Empire.  {Chamb.  Ency.)  But  historians  also  speak  of 
the  "separation  of  the  Seljukian  territory  into  four  king- 
doms: Persia,  Kcrman,  Syria  and  Roum  (Anatolia)." 
(Gibbon,  vol.  v.,  p.  523;  Chesney,  Exped.  to  Euphrates, 
vol.  i.,  p.  473.)  And  again  the  religious  house  of  Islam 
was  also  divided  into  four  great  imamatcs,  (the  term  cor- 
responding with  the  Christian  term  episcopate,)  situated 
in  Aleppo,  Iconinm,  Damascus  and  Bagdad.  So  that  we 
have  four  great  Moslem  agencies,  in  race,  in  State,  and 
in  religion,  warring  upon  and  tormenting  the  Eoman 
Church  and  Empire.  These  agencies,  which  had  been 
"bound," — restrained — are  now  to  be  loosed.  We  have  seen 
the  restraint  laid  upon  them:  first,  not  to  injure  the  grass, 
nor  any  green  thing,  nor  tree,  but  only  those  men  who 
have  not  the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads;  afterward, 
under  a  king,  for  a  period  of  150  years,  they  were  to 
torment,  without  killing,  the  "men,"  i.  e.,  without  destroy- 
ing the  dynasty;  and  now  they  are  to  be  loosed  for  general 
havoc  and  destruction  without  constraint. 

"For  an  hour,  and  a  day,  and  a  month,  and  a 
year." — This  period,  like  all  others  designed  to  measure 
symbols,  must  be  understood  as  symbolic  time,  according 
to  the  year-day  theory — the  rule  for  which  is  stated  on 
page  101.     And  since  ''a  day'  represents  1  year,  360  days, 

One  (prophetic)  hour  is  1-24  part  of  360,= 15      " 

One  (prophetic)  day  = 1  year 

One  (prophetic)  month — 30  days  =       30  years 
One  (prophetic)  year — 360  days=.  .      360  years 


The  whole  period,  therefore,  =  391  years,  15  days. 

Thus  definitely  did  God  mark  off  this  period  of  unre- 
strained Mohammedan  invasion  and  terror. 


398  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.     [parT  VII. 

We  have  also  seen  that  the  former  period  of  restraint 

— 150  years  of  tormenting  only — began 

Where  tiie  ^.^^j^  ^j^g  entering  of  the  Moslem  forces 

^*'*"****  into  Roman  territory,  on  the  2yth  day  of 

siionid  End.        j^j^^  j^^^.  ^^^^  therefore  ended  on  the 

27th  day  of  July,  1449.  If  to  this  date 
we  now  add  the  period  of  their  being  loosed,  or  unre- 
strained in  their  warfare,  it  would  end  on  the  nth  day 
of  August,  1840 — for  the  prediction  is  thus  definite  to 
the  day.  And  the  historian  at  the  beginning  of  the  period 
had  so  carefully  noted  the  day,  as  we  saw,  that  it  drew 
from  Gibbon,  as  he  cited  it,  his  note  of  the  fact.  Could 
he  have  lived  to  see  the  record  concerning  Islamism — the 
handwriting  on  the  palace  wall  of  the  Sultan — August  11, 
1840,  it  might  have  given  him  faith  in  the  God  of  prophecy 
and  the  Bible. 

"For  to  slay  the  third  part  of  men." — Most 
people  and  writers,  forgetting  the  symbolic  nature  of  this 
prophecy,  think  here  of  the  slaying  of  the  third  part  of 
the  population  of  the  empire,  instead  of  a  third  part  of  its 
pozver  or  rulership.  If  the  inhabitants  were  meant,  why 
were  the  women  and  children  unnoticed,  which  made  up 
the  larger  part  of  the  poi^ulation?  The  fact  is,  scriptur- 
ally,  man  is  the  proper  lord  of  creation.  And  "a  man," 
and  "men,"  as  used  here,  must  symbolize  the  riding  potvcr. 
A  third  part  of  the  power  of  the  Eoman  Empire  must  be 
destroyed;  and  the  facts  in  history  abundantly  warrant  the 
prophetic  requirement.  Speaking  of  the  fall  of  the  Greek 
Empire,  the  historian  Hallam  says: — 

"Every  province  was  in  turn  subdued;  every  city  opened  its 
gates  to  the  conqueror;  the  limbs  were  lopped  off  one  by  one; 
but  the  pulse  still  beat  at  the  heart,  and  the  majesty  of  the 
Roman  name  was  ultimately  confined  to  the  walls  of  Con- 
stantinople. The  long  deferred  but  inevitable  moment  arrived 
[A.D.  1453I,  and  the  last  of  the  Caesars  folded  round  him  the 


CHAP.  XXIX.]  SIXTH   TRUMPE;T — SECOND   WOE.  399 

imperial  mantle,  and  remembered  the  name  which  he  repre- 
sented in  the  dignity  of  heroic  death.  .  .  .  Though  the  fate  of 
Constantinople  had  been  protracted  beyond  all  reasonable  ex- 
pectation, [through  restraint  upon  the  four  angels,]  the  actual 
intelligence  operated  like  that  of  sudden  calamity.  A  senti- 
ment of  consternation,  perhaps  of  self-reproach,  thrilled  the 
heart  of  Christendom." — Middle  Ages,  p.  259. 

Further,  "Mahomet  the  Great  pursued  his  conquests,  and 
soon  made  himself  master  of  all  Greece.  He  likewise  sub- 
dued Epirus.  .  .  .  The  revenues  of  the  grand  signior  consists 
chiefly  in  the  product  of  the  several  countries  subject  to  his 
dominion.  A  vast  number  of  vessels  arrive  annually  from 
Greece,  Egypt,  Natolia,  and  the  coasts  of  the  Black  Sea,  which 
bring  all  sorts  of  stores. ",:^Tytler,  Vniver.  Hist.,  Vol.  ii.,  pp. 
211,  212. 

Also  see  extracts  on  pages  379  and  382.  And  Spain, 
at  that  time,  was  one-half  under  Mohammedan  rule,  so 
that,  at  the  least,  one-third  of  the  whole  old  Eoman  Em- 
pire became  dead  to  the  Pope  and  tributary  to  the  Sultan. 
I  will  speak  of  the  close  of  the  period  after  finishing  with 
the  remaining  symbols. 

"  The  number  of  the  army  of  the  horsemen 
two  hundred  thousand  thousand." — Two  hundred 
million — I  have  no  very  clear  light  as  yet  on  this  num- 
ber; it  is  like  the  sixteen  hundred  furlongs  of  chapter 
xiv.  20,  somewdiat  hard  to  understand.  But  it  must  have 
been  intended  to  represent  a  very  great  company,  only,  as 
the  terms  are  translated  in  Lu.  xii.  1,  and  Heb.  xii.  23;  I 
think  it  was;  for  it  is  not  possible  that  literally  an  army 
of  200,000,000  Avas  ever  raised  at  one  time;  and  hardly 
reasonable  that  the  total  number  in  the  field  from  a.d. 
1299  to  1449,  or  even  to  the  end  of  Turkish  dominion  in 
1840,  is  meant,  as  some  have  suggested.  John  repeats, 
"I  heard  the  number  of  them;"  may  not  its  greatness, 
then,  signify  the  irresistibleness  of  their  power?  Doubt- 
less this  is  the  explanation;  my  own  judgment  accepts  it 
as  harmonizing  with  the  general  principles  of  the  book. 


4QO  divine:   KEY   OF  THE  REVELATION,      [part  vii. 

"Breastplates  of  fire,  and  of  jacinth,  and 
brimstone." — In  this  immediate  connection  fire  and 
smoke,  and  brimstone  are  said  to  come  out  of  the  horses' 
mouths,  and  that  by  these  three  tlie  third  part  of  men 
Avere  killed,  or  the  destruction  just  considered  was  ac- 
complished. I  regard  the  fire,  smoke  and  brimstone  as 
giving  the  literal  clue  (see  pages  29,  395);  and  the  smoke 
to  be  rather  a  repetition,  by  way  of  explanation,  of  the 
jacinth,  as  signifying  a  blue  color:  it  comes  from  hyacinth, 
which  is  defined,  "(1)  Formerly,  a  bluish-violet  gem:" 
(Stand.  Diet.)  Fire  is  red,  and  brimstone  is  yellow:  these 
were  prominent  colors  in  the  "breastplate  of  judgment" 
worn  by  the  high  priests  who  Avere  the  judges  of  Israel. 
To  Jesus,  our  High  Priest,  all  judgment  is  committed. 
(Mai.  iv.  1-5;  Matt.  xii.  18;  John  v.  22.)  The  breastplates 
therefore  symbolize  a  fact,  namely,  that  the  "woes"  here 
being  detailed  are  the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  empire 
now  to  be  one-third  destroyed. 

"  The  heads  of  the  horses  were  as  the  heads 
of  lions." — This  Avould  represent  the  strength,  courage 
and  boldness  of  these  destroyers.  For  these  descriptions 
and  John's  vision  Avere  not  intended  to  present  an  actual 
photograph  of  an  Arabian  army  or  cavalry  corps,  merely, 
but  to  characterize,  as  Avell  as  to  identify  the  poAver.  Greek 
fire,  gunpoAvder,  and  cannon  Avere  comparatively  new 
AA'eapons  of  Avarfare  in  the  age  of  Moslem  invasion,  and  the 
califs  were  among  the  first  to  use  them.  Brimstone  is  a 
symbol  of  destruction;  (Gen.  xix.  24-28;  Deut.  xxix.  17-27;) 

it  is  an  ingredient  of  gunpoAvder  and 
Greek  Fire  and  Greek  fire,  and  with  the  fire  and  smoke 
Gunpowder.         issuing   from   the    Arabian    cannon    and 

"copper  tubes"  seemed  to  come  from  the 
mouths  of  the  horses,  which  were  the  principal  feature  in 
the   picture  thus  dimly   (because   symbolically)    outlined 


CHAP.  XXIX.]         SIXTH   TRUMPET — SECOND  WOE.  40I 

before  the  Seer  of  Patmos.  In  the  last  siege  of  Con- 
stantinople, "From  the  lines,  the  galleys,  and  the  bridge," 
says  Gibbon,  "the  Ottoman  artillery  thnndered  on  all  sides; 
and  the  camp  and  city,  the  Greeks  and  the  Turks,  were  in- 
volved in  a  cloud  of  smoke,  which  could  only  be  dispelled 
by'  the  final  deliverance  or  [partial]  destruction  of  the 
Eonian  Empire."  (Vol.  vi.,  p.  400.)  And  on  page  379  he 
says  the  Turkish  "artillery  surpassed  whatever  had  yet 
appeared  in  the  world."  But  it  is  altogether  probable  that 
the  Kevelator's  description  is  particularly  of  the  use  of 
musketry  which,  if  fired  from  the  horses'  backs,  would 
cause  the  smoke  and  flash  of  the  rude  fuses  of  those  prim- 
itive guns  to  appear,  from  a  distance,  to  escape  from  their 
mouths. 

I  do  not  find  a  definite  statement  relative  to  muskets 
in  the  hands  of  the  Turkish  cavalry,  but  Gibbon,  in  speak- 
ing of  a  sally  which  the  Greeks  made  from  the  gates  upon 
their  besiegers,  mentions  their  use  of  muskets,  as  well  as 
cannon,  and  says  that  "the  same  destructive  secret  had 
been  revealed  to  the  Moslems,  by  wJiom  it  zvas  empl-oycd 
with  the  superior  energy  of  zeal,  riches  and  despotism." 
(lb.,  p.  388.)  He  further  says  that  from  the  time  of  the 
first  Amurath  (a.d.  1360)  "The  provinces 
ATnrkisii  q£  Thracc,  Macedonia,  Albania,  Bulgaria, 

Military  School,  ^j^^  Servia,  bccamc  the  perpetual  seminary 
of  the  Turkish  army."  That  they  levied 
a  tax  of  every  fifth  child  upon  Christian  families,  and 
educated  and  trained  them  for  their  armies:  the  most 
robust  were  seized  (at  the  age  of  twelve  years),  "their 
bodies  were  exercised  by  every  labor  that  could  fortify  their 
strength;  they  learned  to  wrestle,  to  leap,  to  run,  to  shoot 
with  the  bow,  and  afterwards  zvith  the  musket.'"  (lb.,  pp. 
386,  287.)     Greek  fire  was  produced  from  naphtha  (which 


402  DIVINB  KKY  OF  THE  RKVEI.ATION.     [part  VII. 

ignites  as  soon  as  it  comes  in  contact  with  the  air),  sulphur 
and  pitch,  and  was  revealed  to  the  Greeks  by  Callinicus,  of 
Syria,  "a  deserter  from  the  service  of  the  calif  to  that  of 
the  emperor."  (lb.,  vol.  v.,  283,  283.)  Its  use  "was 
continued  to  the  middle  of  the  14th  century,  when  the 
scientific  or  casual  comj)ound  of  nitre,  sulphur  and  char- 
coal effected  a  new  revolution  in  the  art  of  war  and  the 
history  of  mankind."     (/&.,  285.) 

Wells  quotes  Heivitt  on  Ancient  Armor,  as  follows: — 

"Callinicus,  the  philosopher,  taught  the  use  of  it  [Greek 
fire]  to  the  Greeks.  He  himself  had  probably 
Greek;  Fire,  but  derived  the  knowledge  of  this  composition 
from  Arabia.  from  the  Arabians;  for  though  powder  acting 
by  detonation  (and  consequently  cannon)  ap- 
pears to  have  been  first  produced  in  Europe,  and  that  not 
earlier  than  the  beginning  of  the  14th  century,  the  Asiatics 
had  the  use  of  powder  that  would  fuse  at  a  very  early  date. 
The  Greek  fire  was  discharged  from  tubes  that  could  be  turned 
in  every  direction." — Things  Not  Generally  Known,  p.  128. 

And  Tomlinson,  on  this  point,  also  says: — 

"The   Chinese  appear  to  have  been   acquainted   with  gun- 
potvder  before  the  Christian  Era,  and  to  have 
Chinese  used  it  in   their   fireworks,   and  for  purposes 

Gunpowder.  of  deflagration,  but  not  for  detonation,  or  the 
propulsion  of  solid  bodies.  Such  a  compound 
as  this  is  supposed  to  have  been  obtained  by  the  Arabs,  in  their 
intercourse  with  China,  and  by  them  communicated  to  the 
Greeks  of  the  Lower  empire.  .  .  .  The  crusaders  in  their  early 
conflicts  appear  to  have  been  struck  with  terror  at  the  incendiary 
weapons  used  against  them." — Cyclo.  Use.  Arts,  Vol.  i.,  p.  823. 

From  this  testimony,  altogether,  there  seems  to  be 
every  probability,  if  not  certainty,  that  the  Moslem  cavalry, 
which  are  chiefly  described,  won  their  unprecedented 
victories  largely  through  the  use  of  gvinpowder  and  mus- 
kets, and  Greek  fire,  the  flashes  of  which  seemed  to  come 
out  of  the  horses'  mouths,  with  smoke  and  brimstone. 


CHAP.  XXIX.]  SIXTH  TRUMPET — SECOND  WOE.  403 

"For  their  power  is  in  their  mouth  and  in 
their  tails." — Their  tails  seem  to  refer  to  the  long  copper 
tubes  for  Greek  fire,  which  Gibbon  says  "was  employed 
with  equal  elfect  by  sea  and  land,  in  battles  or  in  sieges." 

"It  was  either  poured  from  the  rampart  in  large 
boilers,  or  launched  in  red-hot  balls  of  stone  and  iron,  or 
darted  in  arroM^s  and  javelins,  twisted  round  with  flax  and 
tow,  which  had  deeply  imbibed  the  inflammable  oil;  .  and 
was  most  commonly  blown  through  long  tubes  of  copper, 

which  were  planted  on  the  prow  of  a  gal- 
savaee,  Headed  |gy^  ^j^^  fancifully  shaped  into  the 
Monstern.  moutlis  of  savage  monsters  that  seemed 

to  vomit  a  stream  of  liquid  and  consuming 
fire."     (Vol.  v.,  p.  284.) 

John's  next  statement  must  be,  I  think,  descriptive 
of  these  headed  tubes: — 

"For  their  tails  were  like  unto  serpents,  and 
had  heads,  and  with  them  they  do  hurt." — Just 
how  these  could  have  accompanied  the  cavalry,  we  do  not 
certainly  know.  It  could  hardly  have  been  in  so  real  a 
sense  as  with  the  musketry;  but  they  may  have  been 
operated  by  the  infantry  or  artillerymen  following  up  the 
cavalry,  as  "tails  like  unto  serpents;"  in  which  case  the 
description  would  seem  most  perfect. 

"And  the  rest  of  the  men  that  were  not  killed 
by  these  plagues  yet  repented  not." — These  divine 
judgments  had  entirely  destroyed  the  Greek  Empire;  noth- 
ing was  left  of  the  pride  and  power  of  the  creed-making, 
and  creed  enforcing,  kingdom  of  the  great  Justinian,  but 
its  idolatrous  and  adulterous  history.  A  "third  part  of 
men,"  rulers  or  rulerships,  of  the  apostate  "Holy  Roman 
Empire"  had  sunk  into  ignominious  graves,  notoriously 


404  DIVINR,  KEY   OF  iTHE   RSVEI^TION.    '[1*ART  X^li. 

under  the  curse  of  Heaven;  and  yet  there 
Judgments  ^^g  j^q  spirit  of  repentance  on  the  part  of 

Followed  by  ^j^g  Powcrs  which  remained  in  the  West. 
the  intiaisiton,  gpain,  first  to  rally  from  the  shock,  under 
Not  Repentance.  Ferdinand  the  Catholic,  was  first  to  estab- 
lish the  iniquitous  Inquisition,  to  protect 
Jezebel,  uphold  the  creed,  and  destroy  the  Bible  and  the 
saints;  and  under  Phillip  II.,  to  organize  the  "Invincible 
Armada,  to  dethrone  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  destroy  Prot- 
estantism in  Europe.  Austria,  France,  Germany,  Italy, 
and  the  lesser  Catholic  Powers  continued  to  "suffer  that 
woman  Jezebel  to  teach,"  and  "to  worship"  her  demons, — 
spirits  of  the  dead  as  "departed  saints," — her  "idols  of  gold, 
silver,  brass,  stone  and  wood."*  The  worship  of  the 
images  of  Christ  on  the  cross,  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  other 
canonized  "saints,"  is  openly  practiced  in  the  Eoman 
Church.  Gibbon  gives  an  account  of  an  effort  by  the 
Emperor  Leo  III.,  in  the  beginning  of  the  8th  century,  to 
break  up  the  shameful  idolatry.  He  says  that  it  was  done 
"under  the  mask  of  Christianity,"  and  that  the  Greek 
"heard  with  grief  and  impatience  the  name 
Jew  and  pf  idolaters — tlic  incessant  charge  of  the 

Moslem  Rebuke  jgws  and  Mahometans,  who  derived  from 
Catholic  ^]^g  lo^^  r^j-^^  j-j^g  Korau    [even]    an  im- 

imasre-worship.  mortal  hatred  to  graven  images  and  all 
relative  worship."  (Student's  Gibbon,  p. 
429.)  "The  first  assault  of  Leo  against  the  images  of 
Constantinople  had  been  witnessed  by  a  crowd  of  strangers 
from  Italy  and  the  West,  who  related  with  grief  and 
indignation  the  sacrilege  [!]  of  the  emperor."  {lb.,  p.  430.) 
"Amidst  the  triumph  of  the  Catholic  arms,  the  Eoman 
pontiff  convened  a  synod  of  93  bishops  against  the  heresy 
[!]    of  the  iconoclasts" — image-breakers.     {lb.,   p.   432.) 

*  See  pagan  origin  and  practice  of  saint  worship  on  pages  356, 357. 


CHAP.  XXIX.]         SIXTH  TRUMPET — SECONt)   WOE.  405 

"Neither  repented  they  of  their  murders/' — the  50  million 
martyrs;  "nor  of  their  sorceries" — numerous  false  miracles 
— such  as  causing  "the  blood  of  Christ"  and  the  saints 
(centuries  dead)  to  appear  to  liquify,  their  images  to  bleed 
or  move  their  heads  or  eyes,  and  other  tricks  which  I  have 
not  space  to  recount;  "nor  of  their  fornication" — with 
"the  kings  of  the  earth,"  as  we  have  seen;  "nor  of  their 
thefts" — exacting  money  of  the  innocent  and  credulous 
for  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  for  indulgencies,  etc.  And 
because  there  was  no  repentance,  the  French  Revolution 
came,  and  all  its  consequences,  (as  we  have  already  seen 
while  studying  the  "two  witnesses"  of  chapter  xi.,)  as  the 
end  of  the  sixth  trumpet,  and  of  the  second  ivoc. 

END    OF   THE   THREE   HUNDRED   AND    NINETY-ONE    YEARS 
OF   OTTOMAN    SUPREMACY   IN   THE   GREEK   EMPIRE. 

We  have  now  to  consider  the  ending  of  the  period 
of  391  years  and  15  days,  said  to  measure  the  four  angels' 
power  or  permission  to  slay,  as  we  have  seen,  the  third 
part  of  men.  This  period  began  definitely,  as  we  found, 
on  the  37th  day  of  July,  1449,  where  the  150  years' 
period  ended,  and  must,  therefore,  close  as  definitely; 
namely,,  (adding  the  period  to  the  initial  date,)  on  the  nth 
day  of  August,  1840.  The  four  Moslem  angels  had  been 
restrained  from  independent  action  for  150  years;  now 
they  are  loosed  for  nearly  four  centuries.  It  is  fair  to 
suppose,  therefore,  that  the  period  covers  their  inde- 
pendence as  a  power.  Their  independence  began  in  1449, 
not  by  any  special  conquest  of  arms,  but,  as  was  shown 
in  the  extract  from  Gibbon,  by  a  voluntary  surrender  by 
the  Greek  Empire,  under  stress  of  circumstances,  of  its 
own  independent  action,  in  deference  to  tbe  Moslems;  for 
they  cravenly  consulted  the  Turkish  Sultan  to  settle  a 
question  involving  the  Eastern  throne,  thus,  we  may  say, 


406  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE  REVEI.ATION.      [part  VII. 

officially  acknowledging,  at  that  date,  the  independence 
of  the  Ottoman  power.  It  would  seem  fair,  therefore,  to 
expect  that  Ottoman  independence  would  depart  at  the 
close  of  their  period,  by  a  like  voluntary  surrender  of  in- 
dependent action,  under  like  stress  of  circumstances,  and 
general  weakness. 

What  were  the  circumstances  which  led  to  the  sur- 
render of  Ottoman  independence  in  1840? 

In  answering  this  question,  I  depend  on  the  work  of 
Josiah  Litch,  Prophetic  Expositions,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  193-199. 
He  was,  or  had  been,  a  minister  of  standing  in  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  and  active  in  the  Eainbow-Angel 
message  of  the  Advent  at  hand.  He  studied  these  trumpets, 
and  published  an  exposition  advocating  the  prospective 
fall  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,  August  11, 
Their  End  1840,  early  in  1838,  more  than  two  years 

In  1840  before  tne  expectation.     And  he  says  in 

Precaicui.ate.1.  j^jg  j^ter  Avork,  published  in  1842,  (from 
which  I  quote.)  speaking  of  the  extent  of 
the  circulation  of  the  former  work,  that  "minds  were  ar- 
rested and  turned  to  the  11th  of  August;  and  vast  multi- 
tudes were  ready  to  say,  ay,  did  say,  "If  this  event  takes  place 
according  to  the  calculation,  at  the  time  specified,  we  will 
believe  the  doctrine  of  the  Advent  near;'"  for  he, with  Wm. 
Miller  and  others,  were  then  also  preaching  the  definite  end- 
ing of  Daniel's  periods  m  1843.  And  the  fact  of  the  accurate 
fulfillment  of  that  calculation,  as  the  event  proved,  gave 
great  weight  with  all  parties,  as  well  as  with  the  leaders 
themselves,  to  the  other  expectation,  namely,  that  Jesus 
would  come,  as  determined  by  the  other  periods,  in  1843; 
and  was,  perhaps,  the  main  factor  in  the  development  of  the 
"loud  voice,  as  when  a  lion  roareth,"  that  characterized 
that  movement,  and  was  sealed  by  the  seventh  thunder. 


CHAP.  XXIX.]         SIXTH   TRUMPET — SECOND   WOE.  407 

Mr.  Litch  saw  things  clearly^  wrote  as  it  were  on  the  spot, 
drew  his  material  from  original  documents,  and  his  in- 
tegrity and  the  candor  of  his  conclusions  will  not  be  ques- 
tioned.    Answering  the  question, 

WHEN    DID    MOHAMMEDAN    INDEPENDENCE    IN    CONSTAN- 
TINOPLE   DEPART  ? 

the  author  says: — 

"In  order  to  answer  this  question  understandingly,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  review  briefly  the  history  of  that  power 
for  a  few  years  past. 

"For  several  years  the  Sultan  has  been  embroiled  in 
war  with  Mehemet  Ali,  Pacha  of  Egypt. 
Trouble  jjj^  1838,  there  was  a  threatening  of  war 

Between  tiie  bctwccn  the  Sultau  and  his  Egyptian  vas- 
snitan  and  gr^j^  Mchemct  AH,  in  a  note  addressed  to 
Meiiemet  Ali.  ^j^g  foreign  cousuls,  declared  that  in  the 
future  he  would  pay  no  tribute  to  the 
Porte,  and  that  he  considered  himself  independent  sover- 
eign of  Egypt,  Arabia,  and  Syria.  The  Sultan,  naturally 
incensed  at  this  declaration,  would  have  immediately  com- 
menced hostilities,  had  he  not  been  restrained  by  the  in- 
fluence of  the  foreign  ambassadors,  and  persuaded  to  delay. 
This  war,  however,  was  finally  averted  by  the  announce- 
ment of  Mehemet  Ali,  that  he  was  ready  to  pay  a  million 
dollars,  arrearages  of  tribute  which  he  owed  the  Porte, 
and  an  actual  payment  of  $750,000,  in  August  of  that  year. 

"In  1839  hostilities  again  commenced,  and  were  pros- 
ecuted until,  in  a  general  battle  between  the  armies  of  the 
Sultan  and  Mehemet,  the  Sultan's  army  was  entirely  cut 
up  and  destroyed,  and  his  fleet  taken  by  Mehemet,  and 
carried  into  Egypt.  So  completely  had  the  Sultan's  fleet 
been  reduced  that,  when  hostilities  commenced,  in  August, 
he  had  only  two  first-rates  and  three  frigates,  as  the  sad 


408  DIVINE   KEY   OF"  THE   REVELATION,    [part  vll. 

remains  of  the  once  powerful  Turkish  fleet.  This  fleet 
Mehemet  Ali  positively  refused  to  give  up  and  return  to 
the  Sultan,  and  declared,  if  the  Powers  attempted  to  take 
it  from  him,  he  would  burn  it. 

"In  this  posture  affairs  stood  when,  in  1840,  England, 
Russia,  Austria,  and  Prussia  interposed,  and  determined 
on  a  settlement  of  the  difficulty;  for  it  was  evident,  if  let 
alone,  Mehemet  Ali  would  soon  become  master  of  the 
Sultan's  throne. 

"The  following  extract  from  an  official  document, 
which  appeared  in  the  Monitcur  Ottoman,  August  22,  1840, 
will  give  an  idea  of  the  course  of  affairs  at  this  juncture. 
The  conference  spoken  of  was  composed  of  the  four  Powers 
above  named,  and  was  held  in  London,  July  15,  1840: — 

'Subsequent  to  the  occurrence  of  the  disputes  alluded  to, 
and  after  the  reverses  experienced,  as  known 
The  Porte  Sub-  to  all  the  world,  the  ambassadors  of  the  great 
mits  to  Foreign  Powers  at  Constantinople,  in  a  collective  ofifi- 
interveiition.  cial  note,  declared  that  their  governments 
were  unanimously  agreed  upon  taking  active 
measures  to  arrange  the  said  dififerences.  The  Sublime  Porte, 
with  a  view  of  putting  a  stop  to  the  efifusion  of  Mussulman 
blood,  and  to  the  various  evils  which  would  arise  from  a  re- 
newal of  hostilities,  accepted  the  intervention  of  the  great 
Powers.' 

"Here  M^as  certainly  a  voluntary  surrender  of  the 
question  into  the  hands  of  the  great  Powers.  But  the 
document  proceeds: — - 

'His  Excellency,  Sheikh  Efifendi,  the  Bey  Likgis,  was  there- 
fore despatched  as  plenipotentiary  to  represent 
The  Conference  the  Sublime  Porte  at  the  conference,  which 
Sat  in  London,  took  place  in  London,  for  the  purpose  in  ques- 
tion. It  having  been  felt  that  all  the  zealous 
labors  of  the  conferences  of  London  in  the  settlement  of  the 
Pasha's  pretentions  were  useless,  and  that  the  only  public  way 
was  to  have  recourse  to  coercive  measures  to   reduce  him  to 


CHAP.  XXIX.]         SIXTH  TRUMPET— SECOND   WOE.  409 

obedience  in  case  he  persisted  in  not  listening  to  pacific  over- 
tures, the  Powers  have,  together  with  the  Ottoman  plenipoten- 
tiary, drawn  up  and  signed  a  treaty,  whereby  the  Sultan  offers 
the  Pacha  the  hereditary  government  of  Egypt,  and  all  that 
part  of  Syria  extending  from  the  gulf  of  Suez  to  the  lake  of 
Tiberias,  together  with  the  province  of  Acre,  for  life;  the 
Pacha,  on  his  part,,  evacuating  all  other  parts  of  the  Sultan's 
dominions  now  occupied  by  him,  and  returning  the  Ottoman 
fleet.  A  certain  space  of  time  has  been  granted  him  to  accede 
to  these  terms;  and,  as  the  proposal  of  the  Sultan  and  his 
allies,  the  four  Powers,  do  not  admit  of  any  change  or  qualifica- 
tion, if  the  Pacha  refuse  to  accede  to  them,  it  is  evident  that 
the  evil  consequences  to  fall  upon  him  will  be  attributed  solely 
to  his  own  fault. 

'His  Excellency,  Rifat  Bey,  Musleshar  for  foreign  affairs, 
has  been  despatched  in  a  government  steamer  to  Alexandria, 
to  communicate  the  ultimatum  to  the  Pacha.' 

"From  these  extracts  it  appears: — 
"1.  That  the  Sultan,  conscious  of  his  own  weakness, 
did  vohintarily  accept  the  intervention  of 
uitimatnm  ^j^g  great  Christian  Powers  of  Europe  to 

»'  "•'^  settle  his  difficulties. 

Four  Powers.  '^2.    That    the    great    Powers    were 

agreed  on  taking  measures  to  settle  the 
difficulties. 

"3.  That  the  ultimatum  of  the  London  conference 
left  it  with  the  Sultan  to  arrange  the  affair  with  Mehemet 
Ali  if  he  could.  The  Sultan  was  to  offer  him  the  terms 
of  settlement.  So  that,  if  Mehemet  accepted  the  terms, 
there  would  still  be  no  actual  intervention  of  the  Powers 
between  the  Sultan  and  Pacha. 

"4.  That,  if  Mehemet  Ali  rejected  the  Sultan's  offer, 
the  ultimatum  admitted  of  no  change  or  qualification;  the 
great  Poivers  stood  pledged  to  the  coercion.  So  long, 
therefore  as  the  Sultan  held  the  ultimatum  in  his  own 
hands,  he  still  maintained  the  independence  of  his  throne. 


4IO  DIVINB  KEY  OF  THE  REVELATION.     [PART  Vli. 

But  that  document  once  submitted  to  Mehemet,  and  it 
would  be  beyond  his  reach  to  control  the  question.  It 
would  be  for  Mehemet  to  say  whether  the  Powers  should 
interpose  or  not. 

"5.  The  Sultan  did  despatch  Eifat  Bey,  in  a  govern- 
ment steamer,  (which  left  Constantinople  August  5th,)  to 
Alexandria  to  communicate  to  Mehemet  the  ultimatum. 

"This  was  a  voluntary  governmental  act  of  the  Sultan. 

"The  question,  now  comes  up,  When  ivas  that  document 
put  officially  under  the  control  of  Meheniet  Alif 

"The  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  a  correspond- 
ent of  the  London  Morning  CJtronicle,  of  September  18, 
1840,  dated  'Constantinople,  August  27,  1840,'  answers 
the  question: — 

'By  the  French  steamer  of  the  24th,  we  have  advices  from 
Egypt  to  the  l6th.     They  show  no  aheration 
uitiinntnm  [j^  j-j^g  resolution  of  the  Pacha.     Confiding  in 

Presented  ^he  valor  of  his  Arab  army,  and  in  the  strength 

*•*  ^**'  of  the  fortifications  which   defend  his   capital, 

he  seems  determined  to  abide  by  the  last  alter- 
native; and  as  recourse  to  this  therefore  is  now  inevitable,  all 
hope  may  be  considered  at  an  end  of  a  termination  of  the  affair 
without  bloodshed.  Immediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  Cyclop's 
steamer  with  the  news  of  the  convention  of  the  four  Powers, 
Mehemet  Ali,  it  is  stated,  had  quitted  Alexandria,  to  make  a 
short  tour  through  Lower  Egypt.  The  object  of  his  absenting 
himself  at  such  a  moment  being  partly  to  avoid  conferences 
with  the  European  consuls,  but  principally  to  endeavor,  by  his 
own  presence,  to  arouse  the  fanaticism  of  the  Bedouin  tribes, 
and  facilitate  the  raising  of  his  new  levies.  During  the  interval 
of  his  absence,  the  Turkish  government  steamer,  which  had 
REACHED  Alexandria  on  the  iitii,  with  the  envoy  Rifat 
Bey  on  board,  had  been  by  his  orders  placed  in  quarantine, 
and  she  was  not  released  from  it  till  the  i6th.  Previous,  how- 
ever, to  the  Porte's  leaving,  and  on  the  very  day  on  which  he 
had  been  admitted  to  pratique,  [permitted  to  communicate  with 
the  shore,]  the  above  named  functionary  had  had  an  audience 


CHAP.  XXIX.]       SIXTH   TRUMPET — SECOND   WOE.  411 

with  the  Pacha,  and  had  communicated  to  him  the  command 
of  the  Sultan,  with  respect  to  the  evacuation  of  the  Syrian 
provinces,  appointing  another  audience  for  the  next  day,  when, 
in  the  presence  of  the  consuls  of  the  European  powers,  he  would 
receive  from  him  his  definite  answer,  and  inform  him  of  the 
alternative  of  his  refusing  to  obey;  giving  him  ten  days  which 
have  been  allotted  him  by  the  convention  to  decide  on  the 
course  he  should  think  fit  to  adopt.' 

'^According  to  the  foregoing  statement,  the  ultimatum 
was  officially  put  into  the  poivcr  of  Mehcmct  All,  and  zvas 
disposed  of  by  his  orders,  via.,  sent  to  quarantine,  on  the 
11th  day  of  august,  1840. 

"But  have  we  any  evidence,  besides  the  fact  of  the 
arrival  of  Rifat  Bey  at  Alexandria  with  the  ultimatum  on 
the  11th  day  of  August,  that  Ottoman  supremacy  died,  or 
was  dead,  that  day? 

"Read  the  following,  from  the  same  writer  quoted 
above,  dated  'Constantinople,  August  12,  1840: — 

'I  can  add  but  little  to  my  last  letter  on  the  subject  of  the 
plans  of  the  four  Powers;  and  I  believe  the  details  I  then  gave 
you  comprise  everything  that  is  yet  decided  on.  The  portion 
of  the  Pacha,  as  I  then  stated,  is  not  to  extend  beyond  the 
line  of  Acre,  and  does  not  include  either  Arabia  or  Candia. 
Egypt  alone  is  to  be  hereditary  in  his  family,  and  the  province 
of  Acre  to  be  considered  as  a  pachalic,  to  be  governed  by  his 
son  during  his  lifetime,  but  afterward  to  depend  on  the  will 
of  the  Porte;  and  even  this  latter  is  only  to  be  granted  him  on 
the  condition  of  his  accepting  these  terms,  and  delivering  up 
the  Ottoman  fleet  within  ten  days.  In  the  event  of  his  not 
doing  so,  this  pachalic  is  to  be  cut  off.  Egypt  is  then  to  be 
offered  him,  with  another  ten  days  to  deliberate  on  it,  before 
actual  force  is  employed  against  him. 

'The   manner,   however,   of   applying  the   force,    should   he 
refuse  to   comply   with   these   terms — whether 
Test  of  the  ^  simple  blockade  is  to  be  established  on  the 

Sultan's  coast,   or  whether  his  capital  is  to  be  bom- 

Departed  barded,  and  his  armies  attacked  in  the  Syrian 

Supremacy.  provinces — is  the  point  which  still  remains  to 

be  learned;  nor  does  a  note  delivered  yester- 


412  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.     [parT  VII. 

day  by  the  four  ambassadors,  in  answer  to  the  question  put  to 
them  by  the  Porte,  as  to  the  plan  to  be  adopted  in  such  an 
event,  throw  the  least  light  on  this  subject.  It  simply  states 
tliat  provision  has  been  made,  and  there  is  no  necessity  for  the 
Divan  alarming  himself  about  any  contingency  that  might  after- 
wards arise.' 

"Let  us  now  analyze  this  testimony. 

"1.  The  letter  is  dated  'Constantinople,  August  12th.' 

"2.  'Yesterday/  the  nth  of  August,  the  Sultan  ap- 
plied, in  his  own  capital,  to  the  ambassadors  of  four 
Christian  nations,  to  know  the  measures  which  were  to  be 
taken  in  reference  to  a  circumstance  vitally  affecting  his 
empire,  and  was  told  that  'provision  had  been  made,'  but 
he  could  not  know  what  it  was;  and  that  he  need  give 
himself  no  alarm  'about  any  contingency  that  might 
AFTERWARD  arise!!'  From  that  time,  then,  they,  not  he, 
"would  manage  that.  '  '         ■ 

"^^^lere  was  the  Sultan's  independence  that  day? 
GONE  !•  Who  now  had  the  supremacy  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire  in  their  hands  ?     The  great  Pozvers! 

''According  to  previous  [prophetic]  calculation,  there- 
for e,_  ottoman  SUPREMACY  did  depart  on  the  ELEVENTH 
OF  AUGUST,  1840>  into  the  hands  of  the  great  Christian 
Pozvers  of  Europe." 

The  case  seems  overwhelmingly  established,  but  Mr. 
Litch  proceeds  to  give  further  contemporary  testimony: — 

"The  following  is  from  Eev.  Mr.  Goodell,  missionary 
of  the  American  Board,  at  Constantinople,  addressed  to 
the  Board,  and  by  them  published  in  the  Missionary 
Herald,  April,  1841,  p.  160:— 

'The  power  of  Islamism  is  broken  forever;  and  there  is 
no  concealing  the  fact  even  from  themselves. 

Contemporary    They    exist    now    by    mere    sufiferance.      And 

Testimony.  though  there  is  a  mighty  effort  made  by  the 

Christian  governments  to  sustain  them,  yet  at 

every  step  they  sink  lower  and  lower." — Proph.  Expo.,  Vol.  II., 

p.  189. 


CHAP.  XXIX.]       SIXTH    TRUMPET — SECOND    WOE.  413 

Mr.  Litch  continues:  "But  it  is  said  the  Turks  yet 
reign!  So  also  says  our  witness — but  it  is  by  'mere  suffer- 
ance' They  are  at  the  mercy  of  the  Christian  nations. 
Their  independence  is  gone." 

He  then  introduces  the  following  adverse  testimony, 
— so  intended, — but  which  he  refutes:- — 

"Eev.  Mr.  Balch,  of  Providence,  E.  I.,  in  an  attack 
on  Mr.  Miller  for  saying  that  the  Ottoman  Empire  fell  in 
1840,  says:— 

'How  can  an  honest  man  have  the  hardihood  to  stand  up 

before  an  intelligent  audience  and  make  such 

Adverse  Testi-    an  assertion;  when  the  most  authentic  version 

mony  Refuted,    of  the  change  of  the  Ottoman  Empire  is  that 

it  has  not  been  on  a  better  foundation  in  fifty 

years,  for  it  is  now  re-organized  by  the  European  kingdoms, 

.  and  is  honorably  treated  as  such.' 

"But  how  did  it  happen  that  Christian  Europe  re- 
organised the  government?  AVhat  need  of  it  if  it  was  not 
disorganised?  If  Christian  Europe  has  done  this,  then 
it  is  now,  to  all  intents  and  purposes.  Christian  Europe's 
government,  and  is  only  ruled  nominally  by  the  Sultan 
as  their  vassal.  This  testimony  is  the  more  valuable  from 
having  come  from  an  opponent.  It  is  true,  the  Christian 
governments  of  Europe  have  reorganized  the  Turkish  Em- 
pire, and  it  is  their  creature.  Erom  1840  to  the  present 
time,  the  Ottoman  government  has  been  under  the  dicta- 
tion of  the  great  Pozvcrs  of  Europe;  and  scarcely  a  measure 
of  that  government  has  been  adopted  and  carried  out  with- 
out the  interference  and  dictation  of  the  Alliance;  and 
that  dictation  has  been  submitted  to  by  the  Turks. 

"The  London  Morning  Herald,  after  the  capture  of 
St.  Jean  d'Acre,  speaking  of  the  state  of  things  in  the  Otto- 
man Empire,  says: — 

'We  [the  allies]  have  conquered  St.  Jean  d'Acre.     We  have 
dissipated  into  thin  air  the  prestige  that  lately  invested  as  with 


414  DIVINE   KE;y    of    the    REVEI.ATI0N.     [part  VII. 

a  halo  the  name  of  Mehemet  Ali.  We  have  in  all  probability 
destroyed  forever  the  power  of  that  hitherto  successful  ruler. 
But  have  we  done  ought  to  restore  strength  to  the  Ottoman 
Empire?  We  fear  not.  We  fear  that  the  Sultan  has  been  re- 
duced to  the  rank  of  a  mere  puppet;  and  that  the  sources  of  the 
Turkish  Empire's  strength  are  entirely  destroyed.  If  the  supre- 
macy of  the  Sultan  is  hereafter  to  be  maintained  in  Egypt,  it 
must  be  maintained,  we  fear,  by  the  unceasing  intervention  of 
England  and  Russia.'  " 

Eight  years  subsequent,  (1848,)  Mr.  Litch  wrote  his 
work,  The  Restitution,  and,  speaking  of  this  same  prophecy 
of  the  sixth  trumpet,  wrote: — 

"Since  1840,  every  act  of  the  Turkish  government  has  shown 
that  its  power  was  gone,  and  that  it  was  dependent  upon  the 
Christian  Powers  of  Europe  for  its  existence.  When,  in  1843, 
a  renegade  from  Mohammedanism  was  put  to  death  by  order 
of  the  government  of  Constantinople,  it  well  nigh  cost  the  gov- 
ernment its  existence,  and  would  quite  have  done  so,  had  not 
the  pledge  been  given  England  and  Prussia  that  no  more  should 
be  put  to  death  on  that  account.  And  so  in  every  other  case, 
the  Turkish  government  has  submitted  to  Europe  in  every  great 
measure  of  government,  ever  since  the  eventful  rjear  of  IS40. 
We  are  therefore  still  bound  to  hold  that  prophecy  accom- 
plished." 

Mr.  Litch,  in  his  clay,  was  right  in  that  affirmation; 
and  from  his  day  to  our  time,  the  same  is  equally  true. 
The  Sultan  of  Turkey  has  been  known  as  the  ''sick  man 
of  Europe"  now  for  over  half  a  century;  and  had  he  not 
been  bolstered  up  by  England  and  other  European  Powers, 
would  ere  this  have  entirely  lost  his  hold  in  Europe.  "The 
Turks  have  now.  ceased  to  be  formidable.  The  empire 
becomes  weaker  and  weaker  every  day,"  says  Goodrich, 
"and  may  be  regarded  as  tottering  on  its  base."  {Hist. 
All  Nations,  vol.  ii.,  p.  833.)  And  within  the  last  forty 
years  large  portions  of  their  provincial  territory  have  been 
wrested  from  them  by  the  Powers.  Surely,  then,  in  1840, 
the  supremacy  of  Islamism  was  ended. 


CHAP.  XXIX.]      SIXTH  TRUMPET — SECOND  WOE.  415 

And  here,  with  the  close  of  its  last  period,  which 
covers  all  the  time  that  is  measured  to  Moslemism  as  a 
special  judgment  agency,  I  believe  that  the  Turk  drops 
out  of  special  jirophecy  ;  and  that  his  collapsed  and  servile 
empire  remains  to  disturb  only  under  the  general  predic- 
tion of  "  distress  of  nations,  with  perplexity  ' '  (Luke  xxi. 
25).  What  is  brought  out  further  of  national  disturb- 
ance, under  the  following  trumpet  and  last  woe,  comes 
from  the  fret  and  anger  of  the  other  European  Powers,  at 
the  visible  decay  of  Monarchism  under  the  first  proclama- 
tion of  the  seventh  trumpet,  namely,  "  77/<?  kingdom  of 
this  world  is  become  our  Lord' s  and  His  ChrisV s.^''  What 
I  shall  there  say  of  the  new  power  exercised  in  the  world, 
the  new  spirit  infused  into  it  in  spite  of  mad  monarchies, 
the  vivid  and  truthful  picture  of  the  citation  which  I  shall 
give  from  a  writer  in  the  New  York  Indepcjideyit^  etc., 
seems  to  fit  the  mold,  and  fill  out  the  prophetic  outline,  in 
full.  As  to  the  expectation  of  many  that  Turkey  must 
yet  come  to  a  more  marked,  or  utter  end,  with  none  to 
"help  him,"  (Dan.  xi.  45,)  I  am  confident  that  that 
prophecy  applied  to  the  willful  king  of  that  chaj^ter,  and 
was  exhausted  with  the  "eighth-head"  empire  under  the 
Napoleons.  Of  this  I  will  speak  (D.  V.)  in  connection 
with  chapter  xvii. 

This  now  completes  the  six  trumpets  of  chapters  viii. 
and  ix.,  and  we  will  return  to  chapter  xi.  15,  where,  in 
following  out  the  seals,  we  found  the  seventh  trumpet  in- 
troduced, and  whence  we  returned  to  bring  up  to  that 
point  the  first  six.  For  it  will  be  seen  that  chapters  x. 
and  xi.  1-14  are  equally  related  to  the  sixth  trumpet  and 
the  seventh  seal,  there  being  a  lapping  of  that  seal  and 
trumpet,  as  regards  chronology.  Those  passages,  there- 
fore, having  been  traced  under  the  seal,  need  not  be  re- 
peated here,  under  the  trumpet. 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

VII.    THE  SEVENTH  TRUMPET  SOUNDED— THE 
THIED  WOE. 

DIVINE     JUDGMENT     ON     CATHOLIC     NATIONS— 

THEIR   HIDDEN   TALENTS   OF   DELEGATED 

POWER  REVERT  TO  GOD  WHO,  THROUGH 

CHRIST,  JUDGES,   REFORMS,   REIGNS. 

RELIGIOUS    TOLERATION    THROUGHOUT    CIVILIZATION,    A 
GLORIOUS   FRUITAGE. 

Text,  Chapter  xi.  15-19. 

15.  And  the  seventh  angel  sounded;  and  there  were  great 
voices    in    heaven,    saying,    The    kingdom    of 
Epoeii  of  the      this    world    is    become    our    Lord's    and    His 
"Migriity  Christ's;  and  He  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.* 

Angel,"  tiie  ^  i6.  And  the  four  and  twenty  elders,  that 

Advent  Cry,         g^t  before  God  on  their  seats,  fell  upon  their 
1843  to  tiie  faces,  and  worshipped  God. 

End.  17    Saying,  We  give  Thee  thanks,  O  Lord 

God  Almighty,  who  art,  and  wast,  and  art  to 
come;  because  thou  hast  taken  to  Thee  thy  great  power,  and 
hast  reigned.  -    ^,j     '  ■£! 

18.  And  the  nations  were  angry,  and  thy  wrath  is  come, 
and  the  time  of  the  dead,  that  they  should  be  judged,  and  that 
thou  shouldest  give  reward  unto  thy  servants  the  prophets, 
and  to  the  saints,  and  them  that  fear  thy  name,  small  and  great; 
and  shouldest  destroy  them  that  destroy  the  earth. 

19.  And  the  temple  of  God  was  opened  in  heaven,  and 
there  was  seen  in  His  temple  the  ark    of    His    testament:    and 

*  This  verse   is   thus   rendered   by   the  Emphatic  Diaglott,  Revision  and  all 
critical  versions. 

416 


CHAP.  XXX  ]         SEVENTH  TRUMPET — THIRD   WOE.  417 

there    were   lightnings,    and   voices,    and    thunderings,    and    an 
earthquake,  and  great  hail. 

WE  now  have  reached  the  twenty-first  and  last  of 
the  general  serial  prophecies  of  Eevelation.  It 
embraces  the  most  interesting  period  among  all 
the  others  we  have  passed  over,  in  the  history  of  the  Chnrch 
in  her  militant  state.  Liberty  of  investigation  and  of 
faith,  free  speech,  and  general  enlightenment,  and  uni- 
versal religions  toleration  among  civilized  nations,  is  the 
glorious  fniitage  of  the  destruction  of  papal  and  Moslem 
supremacy  in  the  world.  The  Christian  Church  gives 
Christ  the  glory,  attributing  her  new-found  privileges 
to  the  exercise  of  His  power. 

"Great  voices  in  heaven." — These  represent,  as 
we  have  before  seen,  distinct  and  definite  messages  of  joy 
and  hope  in  the  Church  of  Christ — "heaven,"  the  "king- 
dom of  heaven,"  as  opposed  to  the  kingdoms  of  the  world. 
But  let  it  be  particularly  noticed  that  the  greatness  of  the 
voices  manifestly  represent  the  divine  importance  of  the 
messages  being  delivered,  or  of  the  proclamations  being 
made,  and  not  the  greatness  of  the  Church,  or  of  its  rem- 
nant, making  the  announcements.  They  come  immediately 
at  the  close  of  the  Philadelphian  period.  The  Church 
is  just  realizing  the  power  of  love  upon  the  world,  in  con- 
trast with  that  exercised  by  the  papacy,  and  the  influence 
that  one  brief  age  of  "brotherly  love"  has  had  upon  the 
governments  of  earth,  in  so  changing  their  policies  as  to 
cause  them  to  grant  the  unprecedented  liberties  they  en- 
joy. They  acknowledge  it  to  be  the  work  of  Christ,  and 
no  more  fear  the  pale  horse  or  its  rider.     They  are — 

"Saying,  The  kingdom  of  this  world  is  become 
our  Lord's  and  His  Christ's." — When  Jesus  rose  from 


4l8  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVELATION,     [part  VII. 

the  dead,  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  was  given  into 
His  hand.  It  was  He,  therefore,  who  delegated  the  great 
power  to  the  horses  and  their  Eonian  riders,  as  we  have 
seen,  for  1,260  years;  but  those  years  have  expired  now,  and 
the  beast  Power  has  met  its  Judgment  under  the  two  pre- 
ceding trumpets  and  woes,  culminating  in  the  French 
Revolution,  at  the  close  of  the  period,  a.d.  1789,  and  on- 
ward. And  now  the  power  thus  delegated  for  that  specific 
period,  reverts  to  Clod  and  Christ,  who  sit  in  one  throne 
of  grace  and  power.  The  Church,  so  long  oppressed  by 
Rome,  now  rejoices  to  behold  prophecy  fulfilling,  and  the 
power  of  God  manifested  in  these  judgments,  and  changed 
conditions.  The  rejoicing  is  the  voice  of  the  Advent 
angels  or  agencies  in  the  world;  and  are  the  same  as  the 
Ten  Virgins  that  represented  the  "kingdom  of  heaven" 

in  the  25th  chapter  of  Matthew,  and  were 
Parallel  Saying,  Bchold  the  Bridegroom  cometh; 

Figures.  ^j^g  same  class  as  the  overcomers  of  the 

Church  of  Sardis,  who  were  clothed  with 
white  raiment;  and  the  chronology  is  the  same  as  of  the 
Church  of  Laodicea,  the  "lukewarm"  members  of  which 
were  exhorted  to  "buy  themselves  "white  raiment,"  and 
anoint  their  eyes  with  eyesalve  that  they  might  see  what 
was  fulfilling  about  them,  while  the  overcomers,  who  had 
these  preparations,  were  promised  to  sit  zvith  Christ  in  His 
throne,  even  as  He  was  Himself  sitting  in  power  and 
authority  with  the  Father.  (On  this,  see  pages  180-183.) 
This  joint-reign  is  all  in  relation  to  the  power  of  con- 
demnation or  justification  in  connection  with  the  message 
intrusted  to  them  for  proclamation — the  power  to  loose 
from  sin,  or  bind  therein  (see  pages  51,  52);  and  is  in  time, 
under  the  period  of  this  trumpet,  and  not  after  the  trumpet 
influence  is  past,  and  the  eternal  age  begun.  It  exactly 
synchronizes  in  character  with  the  rejoicing  of  the  Church, 


CHAP.  XXX.]  SEVENTH  TRUMPET — THIRD  WOE.  419 

and  their  new  song  of  reigning  on  the  earth  with  Christ, 
at  the  opening  of  the  little  book  (chapter  v.  9,  10);  and  in 
time  with  the  song  of  chapter  xix.  1-6,  which  came  im- 
mediately after  the  results  of  the  judgments  as  delineated 
in  chapters  xvii.  and  xviii. 

"  The  twenty-four  elders  *  *  fell  upon  their 
faces  and  worshipped  God." — These  twenty-four 
elders  (explained  on  page  191)  were  seen  in  chapter  iv. 
surrounding  the  great  central  throne  on  which  God  the 
Almighty  was  sitting,  holding  the  little  book;  and  from 
whose  hand  Christ,  the  Lamb,  who  was  afterwards  seen 
in  the  midst  of  the  throne  and  of  the  elders,  took  the 
book.  Thus  the  two  personages  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  are  everywhere  recognized  throughout  the  Eevelation 
— a  fact  that  should  not  be  overlooked.  The  elders  were 
worshipping  the  Father,  here,  and  in  chapter  iv.  8-11; 
while  in  chapter  v.  8-12  the  worship  is  specifically  that 
of  the  Lamb;  but  in  verses  13,  14  changing  to  both  God 
and  the  Lamb.  Some  will  have  it  that  Christ  is  the 
Almighty  of  this  book — a  most  manifest  error:  it  comes 
from  failing  to  see  that  the  terms  "Alpha  and  Omega," 
the  "first  and  the  last,"  are  equally  proper  as  applied  both 
to  God,  first  in  creation  (Isa.  xli.  4,  xliv.  6,  xlviii.  12; 
Rev.  i.  4,  8,  xxi.  5,  6),  and  to  Jesus,  who  is  the  "first-born 
from  the  dead,"  and  first  in  redemption  (Rev.  i.  5,  11, 
17,  18;  ii.  8;  xxii.  12,  13). 

"  O  Lord  God  Almighty,  who  art,  and  wast, 
and  art  to  come." — Evidently  the  Almighty  Father, 
uncreated,  unbegotten,  always  and  ever  existing,  is  here 
described. 

"Because  thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy  great 
power,  and  hast  reigned."— The  Almighty,  John  says, 
has  taken  or  retaken  to  Himself  {Syriac,  "assumed")  the 


420  DIVINB  KBY   OF  THE   REVELATION.     [paRT  Vll. 

great  jjower  which,  through  Christ,  he  had  for  1,260  years 
delegated  to  the  beast,  or  death  on  the  pale  horse,  to  put 
the  saints  to  death,  and  to  east  the  truth  to  the  ground. 
This  giving  of  power  for  that  work  is  made  clear  in  Dan. 
vii.  31-27;  Rev.  xiii.  5,  7.  We  have  seen  how  at  the  close 
of  1,260  years  of  dominion,  Romanism  was  judged,  and 
its  dominion  over  the  saints  taken  away  by  means  of  the 
French  Revolution.  God  reigned  over  the  nations  of  the 
earth  in  a  new  sense  in  that  dreadful  judgment,  and  also 
through  the  period  of  the  sixth  trumpet.  There  was  a 
taking  to  Himself  great  power  such  as  He  had  not  been 
exercising  for  centuries  before,  and  the  Church  rejoiced, 
and  shouted,  as  is  said  in  chapter  xix.  6,  7 — just  following 
the  detailed  account  of  the  judgments  of  chapters  xvii. 
and  xviii. — "Alleluia ;  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent 
REiGNETH  .  .  rejoicc,  and  give  honor  to  Him;  for  the 
marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come." 

"And  the  nations  were  angry,  and  thy  wrath 
is  come." — That  is,  the  third  "woe"  is  come  upon  the 
angry  nations.  Under  the  sixth  trumpet,  the  wrath  of 
God  upon  the  papacy  had  completed  itself  for  a  brief 
space  in  the  French  Revolution;  and  as  that  woe  closed 
(xi.  14),  it  was  said,  the  third  woe  corncth  quickly:  the  sec- 
ond woe  had  followed  the  first  without  a  single  year's 
respite;  but  now,  the  third  and  last  "cometh"  after  a 
comparatively  brief  intervening  space  called  "quickly." 
The  great  anger  of  the  nations,  which  called  soon  for  the 
wrath  of  this  last  trumpet  and  woe,  is  seen  in  the  work 
of  the  so-called  Holy  Alliance  of  1815  and  onward.  All 
the  Powers  of  Europe,  great  and  small,  from  England 
and  Russia  to  Denmark  and  Switzerland,  except  the  Pope 
and  the  Porte,  had  joined  in  an  im\\o\y  alliance  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  old  monarchial  systems,  and  despot- 
isms, which  the  dark  ages  had  made   darker  and  more 


CHAP.  XXX.]  SBVBNTH  TRUMPET — THIRD  WOS.  421 

despotic,  and  from  which  the   great  Eevolution — God's 
judgment — had  called  loudly  for  a  halt. 

Concerning  the  national  commotion  and  anger,  the 
spirit  of  the  Alliance  and  of  those  times,  the  historian 
J.  S.  C.  Abbott,  speaking  of  ISTapoleon's  work  in  Italy, 
(1809  to  1815)  writes:— 

"All    Europe  was   divided   into  two   parties,   deadly  hostile 

to  each  other — the  friends  of  the  liberal  prin- 
Abbott  on  the  ciples  which  the  French  Revolution  had  in- 
Ansry  Xations.  troduced.  and  the  friends  of  the  old  regimes. 

All  of  the  one  party  followed  the  lead  of 
France,  for  with  France  they  stood  or  fell.  All  of  the  other  party 
obeyed  the  call  of  England,  Austria,  Russia,  and  Prussia,  for 
it  was  only  by  the  combined  energies  of  all  these  courts,  that 
the  people  of  Europe,  every  where  clamoring  for  popular  rights, 
could  be  prevented  from  overthrowing  the  aristocratic  govern- 
ments. 

"Joseph  Bonaparte,  at  a  sweep,  had  annulled  all  the  feudal 

laws  of  Naples,  and  all  the  corrupt  tribunals 
Canse  of  connected  with  them.     Joachim  Murat,  follow- 

Aneer.  jng  in  his  footsteps,  and  guided  by  the  equable 

principles  of  the  Code  Napoleon,  which  code 
is  still  the  admiration  of  enlightened  jurisprudence,  established 
impartial  tribunals  of  justice,  in  which  the  people  had  a  fair 
representation;  equalized  all  taxes;  opened  every  post  of  emolu- 
ment or  honor  alike  to  the  competition  of  the  rich  and  the 
poor,  the  high-born  and  the  lowly-born;  suppressed  the  con- 
vents which  had  become  nurseries  of  fanaticism,  idleness  and 
licentiousness;  established  institutions  of  popular  education;  en- 
dowed colleges  in  every  province,  and  a  university  at  Naples, 
with  the  highest  course  of  classical,  mathematical,  and  philo- 
sophical studies;  and  devoted  especial  attention  to  the  establish- 
ment in  every  province  of  seminaries  for  the  education  of 
females.  'France,'  said  Napoleon,  'needs  nothing  so  much  as 
good  mothers.'  This  sentiment  he  enjoined  upon  all  govern- 
ments over  which  he  could  exert  an  influence." — Hist.  Italy, 
P-    534- 


42  2  DIVINB    KSY   OF   THE   REVEI.ATION.     [PART  VII. 

Again,  Mr.  Abbott  wrote  of  the  nations'  anger,  which 
so  soon  called  for  another  earthquake,  in  the  wrath  of 
God:— 

"The   great  object  of  the   Congress   of   Vienna,   upon   the 
downfall  of  Napoleon,  in  1815,  was  so  to  dis- 
Brewing  member   and   reconstruct    Europe   as   to   hold 

Aiierer.  its  peoples  in  entire  subjection  to  the  feudal 

kings.  Italy  was,  therefore,  by  the  allies,  cut 
up  into  fragments,  and  so  parcelled  out  as  to  render  any  rising 
of  the  people  in  favor  of  popular  rights  almost  impossible." 
(Hist.  Italy,  p.  590.)  "For  ten  years,"  he  continues  (after  the 
organization  of  the  Carbonari  Society  in  1820)  "the  volcanic 
fires  were  gathering  for  a  new  erruption.  The  overthrow  of 
Charles  X.,  and  the  enthronement  of  Louis  Philippe,  [1830,] 
aroused  the  popular  party  all  over  Europe,"  etc. 

Napoleon's  influence  was  felt  to  every  part  of  the 
earth,  and  yet,  notwithstanding  the  glorious  change  he 
wrought,  the  deadliest  opposition  came  from  every  quarter 
of  the  old  adulterous  Church-State  system,  which  knciv 
not  God  and  believed  not  His  Word,  and  saw  only  Napo- 
leon as  their  foe.  But  the  'Hiving  creature''  had  "eyes" 
that  could  see,  and  so  the  last  thing  under  the  sixth  seal 
was  "a  loud  voice,  saying.  Salvation  to  our  God  zvho  sittcth 
upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb"  (ch.  vii.  10);  and  the 
last  thing  under  the  sixth  trumpet  was  the  "remnant" 
also  giving  "glory  to  the  God  of  heaven'  (eh.  xi.  13).  Some 
one  may  candidly  suggest  here,  "But  Napoleon  and  the 
Revolutionists  were  infidel,  and  neither  did  they  know 
God,  nor  believe'  His  AVord."  Can  anything  good  come 
from  such  a  source?  No,  not  from  such  a  source;  but 
from  God  through  it,  tlie  same  as  God  raised  up  Pharaoh, 
that  he  "might  shew  (His)  power"  in  him,  and  that  His 
"name  might  be  declared  throughout  all  the  earth"  (Ro. 
ix.  17).     God  could  not  well  institute  these  necessary  re- 


CHAP.  XXX.]  SEVENTH  TRUMPET— THIRD   WOE.  ^2^ 

fonns  as  a  means  to  dispell  the  medieval 
Why  judB-ment  dai'kness,  and  enlighten  and  liberate  the 
cameThrougu  chupch,  through  Jezebel  or  "her  chil- 
lufidei  Men.  dren;"  (who  were  zvorse  than  infidel,  be- 
cause they  were  adding  hypocricy  to  unbe- 
lief;) for  they  held  a  position  before  all  the  world  as  "The 
Church!  Orthodox  and  Evangelical!"  and  as  such  would 
have  taken  all  the  glory  to  "the  Church."  Or  had  God 
chosen  as  his  instrument  the  remnant  of  the  period,  those 
who  "have  the  testimony  of  Jesus,"  (the  ten  virgins,)  they 
were  so  small,  for  so  great  a  work,  that  the  result  would 
have  appeared  immediately  as  an  astounding  miracle,  and 
would  have  enabled  them  that  saw  it  to  walk  by  sight  and 
not  by  faith,  and  Avould  thus  have  thwarted  the  purpose 
of  God.  So  it  was  the  infidel  Eepublic  which  destroyed 
the  Bible,  and  the  infidel,  or  IMohametan,  Napoleon  who 
blasphemed  God,  yet  brought  His  judgments  upon  Jezebel, 
and  opened  and  suppressed  3,400  convents  and  monaster- 
ies— "nurseries  of  fanaticism,  idleness  and  licentiousness" 
— in  France  alone;  in  Italy  9,817  of  them,  setting  the  idle 
fanatics  to  work— digging  both  for  spiritual  and  for  na- 
tural food.  For  not  only  were  schools  established,  but,  as 
Mr.  Abbott  continues, — 

"Agricultural    societies    were    formed    in    every    province; 

charitable  institutions  founded;  a  national  in- 
Creditable,  i£  stitute  was  established,  and  a  general  board  of 
Infidel,  Reform,  directors     of     public     works     was     organized, 

under  whose  vigorous  superintendence  the 
most  important  improvements  were  prosecuted  all  over  the 
kingdom.  The  state  revenues  were  augmented,  the  public 
credit  completely  established,  and  the  enormous  national  debt 
so  far  liquidated  as  to  amount,  at  the  fall  of  Napoleon,  to  but 
six  hundred  thousand   dollars." — lb. 

And  speaking  of  the  improved  condition  of  the  papal 
states,  after  these  judgments  upon  the  pope,  he  says: — 


424  DIVINE   KEY  OF  THE   REVEI.ATION.     [parT  VII. 

"The  people  of  the  papal  states  were  so  intensely  hostile  to 
the  ecclessiastical  government  under  which  they  had  groaned, 
that  this  change  was  hailed  with  general  and  cordial  satisfaction. 
There  is  undisputed  testimony  that  the  papal  states  had  never 
before  been  so  prosperous  and  so  happy." — lb.,  p.  335. 

But  multiplying  republics  and  advancing  peoples  were 
dangerous  neighbors  of  monarehial  and  despotic  govern- 
ments; and  the  "nations  were  angry,"  for  Napoleon  and  his 
plans  were  their  constant  terror.  Four  republics  had  been 
established  in  Italy,  and — 

"All  Europe  was  alarmed,  for  all  Europe  was  in  danger  of 

being  revolutionized  step  by  step.  Naples  was 
Monarcbies  almost   frantic  with  rage   in   seeing  the  prin- 

tiie  More  Mad.      ciples  of  the  French  Revolution  advance  thus, 

even  to  her  very  doors.  Austria  and  Spain 
were  roused  vehemently.  And  the  applause  with  which  the 
English  people  greeted  these  republics,  and  their  clamor  for 
parliamentary  reform,  so  thoroughly  alarmed  the  English 
government  that  they  adopted  the  secret  resolve  that,  at  every 
hazard,  the  Republic  must  be  put  down  in  France,  and  the 
Bourbons  restored  to  their  despotic  throne.  For  it  was  mani- 
fest to  the  least  discerning,  that  these  increasing  and  growing 
republics  were  but  the  fruit  which  the  French  Revolution  was 
bearing." — lb.,  p.  516.* 

"In  the  winter  of  1812,  the  proudest  army  France  has  ever 

raised  perished  among  the  snows  of  Russia. 
Aroused  It  was  the  signal  for  all  the  old  monarchies 

Angler.  of     Europe     again     to     combine     to     destroy 

Napoleon,  the  disturber  of  their  thrones.  He 
struggled  against  them  with  a  heroism  which  has  excited  the 
wonder  of  the  world.  One  million  two  hundred  thousand 
bayonets  advanced  upon  exhausted  France,  and  Napoleon  fell; 
and  with  him  fell,  of  course,  all  those  liberal  governments  his 
genius  had  created,  and  his  arm  had  upheld.  .  .  .  The  execrable 
despotism  of  the  Bourbons  was  reestablished  over  the  sub- 
jugated French  people.  .  .  .  Earth  has  witnessed  many  crimes, 
but  never  one  on  a  more  gigantic  scale  than  this. 

"Italy  encountered  the  same  doom  as  France.  Her  con- 
stitutions  were  trampled  in  the   dust,   her   liberal   governments 


CHAP.  XXX.]  SEVENTH  TRUMPET — THIRD  WOE.  425 

indignantly  demolished,  and  the  old  worn-out  regimes  of  priestly- 
fanaticism  and  aristocratic  tyranny  unrelentingly  reestablished. 
The  triumphant  allies  met  in  congress  at  Vienna  (1815)  to 
divide  the  spoil,  and  to  map  out  Europe  anew,  in  such  a  way, 
that  the  people  should  be  effectually  prevented  from  any  farther 
attempts  to  establish  free  governments." — lb-,  p.  537. 

"The  revolution  in  France  in  1830,  by  which  the  elder 
branch  of  the  house  of  Bourbon  was  driven  from  the  throne, 
and  the  scepter  placed  in  the  hands  of  Louis  Philippe,  con- 
vulsed Italy  from  the  Alps  to  the  extremities  of  Calabria"  (lb., 
p.  549) ;  and  "aroused  the  popular  party  all  over  Europe" 
(P-  591)- 

I  have  given  these  extended  extracts — a  tithing  out 
of  the  mass,  had  I  space  for  more — to  show,  as  they  do 
conclusively,  what  the  text  demands,  an  international 
anger,  definite,  fixed,  and  recognizable,  not  general,  un- 
certain and  doubtful,  during  the  short  space  of  time  called 
"quickly,"  between  the  French  Eevolution,  which  ended 
the  second  woe,  and  the  coming  of  the  third  woe.  The 
seventh  trumpet  must  introduce  it,  but  seems  to  be  held 
back  for  a  little  time,  as  if  for  a  last  "space  to  repent,"  or 
else,  if  they  chose,  to  develop  their  obstinate  anger.  And 
then,  at  its  sounding,  the  Lord's  zvrath  is  come.  Now, 
this  trumpet  was  still  future,  we  saw,  under  the  seventh 
seal,  when  the  "mighty"  rainbow  angel  was  making  his 
positive  proclamation,  in  1840,  "that  there  should  be  time 
no  longer;"  but  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh 
angel,  when  he  should  begin  to  sound,  the  mystery  of  God 
should  be  finished;  i.  e.,  the  matter  so  long  sealed  up 
from  human  penetration,' should  then  be  accessible  to  the 
understanding  of  the  Church.  The  historic,  world-wide 
proclamation  of  the  advent,  that  it  would 
The  Date,  Q^cur  in  1843,  which  fulfills  the  symbolic 

Rigrht;  TUe         proclamation  of  the  rainbow  angel,  (which 
Kvent,  AVrongr.    ggg^  j^^^j  f^j.  j^g  jj^sis  this  Very  expecta- 
tion, that  the  seventh  trumpet  would  then 


426  DIVINB   KEY  OF  THE)   REVELATION.     [pART  VII, 

sound,  at  the  expiration  of  the  2,300  days  of  Daniel  viii. 
14.  Let  the  reader  refresh  his  memory  of  their  position 
as  stated  in  the  language  of  Josiah  Litch,  page  279.  The 
exactness  of  the  fulfillment  is,  indeed,  very  striking.  The 
ending  of  that  period  in  1843  is  demonstratable:  it  was 
clearly  demonstrated  in  the  exposition  of  Daniel  viii.  and 
ix.,  by  those  pioneer  writers  of  this  sealing  age; — nnsealing 
of  the  book  of  prophecy,  but  the  sealing  of  the  servants 
of  God  in  the  forehead — intellectually — as  regards  proph- 
ecy; (see  sealing  under  the  sixth  seal;)  and  their  position  on 
that  period  and  date  never  has  been,  nor  can  be,  success- 
fully controverted.  But  they  mistook  the  cleansing  of  the 
sanctuary  for  the  coining  of  Christ  and  the  cleansing  of 
the  earth  of  sin  and  its  effects,  and  fitting  up  the  earth  for 
the  inheritance  and  home  of  the  saints.  This  was  the 
mistake  that  caused  for  them  the  "tarrying"  of  the  Bride- 
groom, as  the  parable  of  our  Lord,  prophetically  fitted  to 
their  history,  required;  and  called  for  the  instruction  to 
the  rainbow  angel,  as  we  have  seen,  that  he  must  prophesy 
again.  If,  then,  that  "mighty"  angel  was  not  mistaken 
in  regard  to  the  ending  of  the  period,  and  the  sounding 
of  the  seventh  trumpet  in  1843,  what  should  have  been 
expected  to  end  the  period,  and  answer  the  trumpet  at  the 
beginning  of  its  sound  {i.  e.,  had  there  been  no  "hour  of 
trial,"  and  no  test  for  wise  and  foolish  virgins  to  enter 
the  programme)?  This  is  an  important  question:  let  us 
consider  it  in  the  clear  light  of  the  requirement  of  this 
prophecy  in  connection  with  Daniel's  predictions;  and  in 
order  best  to  do  so,  let  every  reader  not  familiar  with  his 
seventh  and  eighth  chapters,  read  them  just  here,  and  we 
will  also  advance  a  step  in  the  text: — 

"And  the  time  of  the  dead,  that  they  should 
be  judged,  and  that  thou  shouldst  give  reward 
unto    *    *    prophets    and   saints." — The  reference 


CHAP.  XXX.]  SEVENTH  TRUMPET — THIRD  WOE.  427 

here  evidently  is  to  the  dead  represented  by  the  rider  of 
the  pale  horse,  and  the  souls  under  the  altar,  etc.,  and  to 
the  expired  time  of  the  "quickly"  which  intervened,  as 
we  found,  between  the  second  and  third  woes.  We  have 
also  found  a  relationship,  as  we  came  on,  between  this 
quickly  and  the  revolution  which,  as  a  judgment,  closed 
the  1,260  years  of  Daniel  vii.  25,  26,  and  also  the  second 
woe.  For  the  seventh  trumpet  must  bring  the  third  woe. 
We  may,  therefore,  consider  the  answer  to  the  above  ques- 
tion under  these  heads: — 

I.  The  true  cleansing  of  the  sanctuary. 

II.  The  beast's  lost  power  and  its  reversion  to  the 
original  giver — its  visible  assumption  by  the  Almighty; 
and 

III.  The  time  for  judging  the  world-powers  (as  such), 
and  avenging  the  crying  souls  beneath  the  Sardian  altar. 

All  this,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  to  be  accomplished 
under  this  trumpet,  in  time,  not  after  the  Advent.  Even 
Dr.  Patton,  Editor  of  the  Cottage  Testament  Notes,  says: — 

"We  agree  with  Lowman  and  Fuller  that  the  judgment 
here  spoken  of  (ver.  18)  is  not  the  Jast  judgment,  or  'the  con- 
summation of  all  things;'  but  'manifestly  refers  to  the  avenging 
of  the  martyrs  by  the  judgments  to  be  inflicted  on  the  papal 
power  under  the  seven  vials,  antecedent  to  the  millenium:'"* 

I.  The  sanctuary  is  not  the  earth,  but  the  Church. 
God's  literal  dwelling  is  in  Heaven,  not 
The  Mistake       ^j^  |-]^g  earth.     But  Moses'  tabernacle  and 
Explained.  Solomon's  temple  were  by  God's  arrange- 

ment made   for   a   typical   and   spiritual 
dwelling  place  for  God;  and  were,  for  that  reason,  carefully 

*  That  is,  antecedent  to  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  I  can  find  no  future  mil- 
lennium taught  in  Revelation,  nor  mentioned  by  Jesus  nor  any  Apostle,  nor  in 
the  Prophets.  A  right  view  of  the  present  reign  of  Jesus  will,  I  believe,  correct 
that  misjudgment,  and  put  the  true  light  on  Revelation  xx.  I  hope  soon  to  ex- 
amine that  subject  in  another  volume. 


428  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVEIyATlON.     [PART  VII. 

modeled  after  heavenly  "patterns."  They  were  typical  of 
the  Gospel  Church,  which  is  an  "holy  temple"  in  which 
God  and  Christ,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  dwell  (see  1  Cor.  iii. 
15,  16;  Eph.  ii.  19-23,  etc.).  This  temple  was  polluted 
by  the  "man  of  sin,"  (Dan.  viii.  10-12;  xi.  31;  2  Thes.  ii. 
3,  4,)  who  cast  the  trutJi  to  the  ground,  and  destroyed  the 
saints.  This  temple  must  be  cleansed  from  his  polluting 
presence  and  power,  so  that  universal  liberty  of  conscience 
shall  obtain  in  faith  and  in  religious  worship. 

II.  The  seventh  trumpet  is  decidedly  a  proclamation 

trumpet.  Its  "great  voices,"  the  prostra- 
The  Trumpet  ^jqj^  ^f  ^|^g  eldcrs  and  their  song  of  thanks- 
Beionss  to  giving,  represent  the  grateful  recognition 

'^^™^'  and  distinct  and  positive  proclamation  by 

the  Church  of  the  wonderful,  new, 
changed  condition  of  affairs  in  the  world  by  the  loss  of 
beast  power, — Nicolaitan,  Jesuitical,  papal,  monarchial, — 
and  its  assumed,  extended  and  beneficient  exercise  by  God. 
The  joyous  proclamation  is  the  first  thing  under  the 
sounded  trumpet;  therefore  the  great  achievements  which 
were  being  celebrated  by  the  symbolic  elders,  must  have 
preceded  the  sounding,  and  belong  to  time.  The  extracts 
from  history  which  have  been  cited,  and  which  might  have 
been  multiplied  and  extended,  show  exactly  what  the 
symbols  demand  as  to  national,  political,  and  ecclesiastical 
conditions  in  the  world,  between  the  period  of  the  French 
Revolution,  which  ended  the  second  woe,  and  1843,  when 
the  great  proclamation  of  the  fall  of  Babylon  under  the 
judgment  of  God,  and  the  joy  of  the  Church  at  the  out- 
stretched scepter  of  the  Almighty,  reached  the  ear  of  the 
world. 

III.  The   symbolico-prophetic   judgments   upon,  the 
great  harlot  or  jjapal  system.,  and  the  connected  avenging 


CHAP.  XXX.]  SEVENTH  TRUMPET — THIRD  WOE.  429 

A  System  rewai'ds  of  the  saints,  as  a  class,  so  long 

Judged,  a  Class  crushed  under  the  iron  heel  of  Eome,  are 
Rewarded.  g|;jj^  ygj-y  commonly  mistaken  (as  by  the 

rainbow  agency)  for  final  or  eternal  in- 
dividual punishments  and  rewards.  On  the  contrary, 
they  belong  wholly  to  present  judgments  and  vindications: 
they  are  retributive,  or  avengeful,  respectively,  as  regards 
the  papal  system  and  the  Church;  but  corrective,  or  an 
earnest  of  final  reward,  respectively,  as  regards  the  in- 
dividuals composing  the  Catholic  system  and  the  true 
Church. 

"And  shouldst  destroy  them  that  destroy 
the  earth." — These  destroyers  were  the  riders  of  the  Ro- 
man horses  which  John  saw  taking  "peace  from  the 
earth,"  i.  e.,  the  Powers  that  succeeded  those  visible  sym- 
bols which  characterized  the  earlier  periods  of  Church  his- 
tory. Destroy  them,  as  they  had  destroyed  others,  in  usurp- 
ing their  dominion.  In  Daniel's  visions  he  was  shown  the 
delegation  of  power  to  the  beast-kingdoms  of  the  world; 
that  they  used  it  against  the  Church,  warring  upon  the 
saints,  and  casting  the  truth  to  the  ground;  that  the  war 
would  continue  1,860  years;  and  that  then  the  judgment 
should  sit,  and  they  should  take  away  the  dominion  of 
the  beast-power,  to  consume  and  destroy  IT  (the  power, 
not  yet  the  personnel  of  the  beast)  "to  the  endf  and  dur- 
ing which  "time  of  the  end"  the  saints  of  the  most  High 
should  take  the  recovered  kingdom,  and  possess  it  them- 
selves forever,  or  for  the  age.  Abundance  of  history  has 
been  cited,  during  the  course  of  these  comments,  to  verify 
and  completely  counterpart  every  specification  in  those 
predictions.  The  hateful  dominion  of  popery  is  consumed 
and  destroyed  throughout  the  world;  and  universal  re- 
ligious toleration  prevails.  The  saints,  with  a  free  and 
open  Bible,  as  effectually  possess  the  kingdom  of  the  world 


430  DIVINE   KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION.       [PART  VII. 

to-day,  as  the  papacy  did  during  the  Dark  Ages.  The 
Almighty  reigns,  and  blessings  in  copious  showers  des- 
cend upon  the  waiting  Church  and  an  ungrateful  world, 
such  as  the  saints  of  papal  days  never  could  have  dreamed 
of  without  the  clearest  views  of  prophecy. 

"And  the  temple  of  God  was  opened  in 
heaven,  and  there  was  seen  in  His  temple  the  ark 
of  His  testament." — "Heaven,"  reducing  the  symbol, 
is  "the  kingdom  of  heaven"  that  Jesus  said  "is  not  of  the 
world."  And  the  temple  which  was  opened,  is  the  Church 
which  was  closed;  for  "the  light  of  the  world"  was  shut  in, 
so  that  no  light  shone  out  during  the  dark  ages  of  popery. 
The  man  of  sin  had  been  exalting  himself,  darkening 
counsel  with  words  and  creeds,  so  that  the  "Scriptures 
died  out  of  the  world's  memory;"  but  now  it  is  open,  and 
the  "ark  of  the  covenant  is  seen." 

A  condition  of  things  like  this  had  obtained  in  the 
days  of  literal  Israel.     In  the  fifty-seven 
Tbe  sanctnary   yg^^j-g  ^f  ^-j^g  rcigus  of  Manuasseh  and  of 
Cleansed,  Amou,  kiugs  of  Judah,  they  "did  evil  in 

in  Type.  ^]^g  ^sight  of  the  Lord,  after  the  abomina- 

tions of  the  heathen,"  and  "reared  up 
altars  for  Baal,  and  made  a  grove,  as  did  Ahab  king  of 
Israel;  and  worshipped  all  the  hosts  of  heaven,  and  served 
them,"  until  Judgment  was  decreed  upon  them,  "that  who- 
soever heareth  of  it,"  said  God,  "both  his  ears  shall  tingle." 
(2  Kings  xxi.)  In  this  case,  also,  the  Word  of  God  was 
lost  sight  of  entirely.  But  Josiali  instituted  reforms, 
when  he  came  to  the  throne.  "He  did  that  which  was 
right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  walked  in  the  way  of 
David  his  father."  In  repairing  the  temple,  they  found 
the  long  neglected  and  lost  book  of  the  law,  and  read  it 
in  the  presence  of  king  Josiah.  And  when  the  king 
realized  the  departure  of  Israel  from  the  words  of  the 


CHAP.  XXX. J  SEVENTH    TRUMPET— THIRD    WOK  43  I 

book  of  the  law  of  God,  he  rent  his  garments  and  wept 
before  the  Lord.  And  he  gathered  unto  him  all  the 
elders  of  the  kingdom,  and  the  prophets  and  priests  and 
people,  great  and  small,  and  he  went  into  the  temple  and 
read  in  the  ears  of  all  the  people  all  the  words  of  the  book 
of  the  covenant  which  was  found  in  the  house  of  the  Lord. 
And  they  cleansed  the  temple,  and  thoroughly  reformed 
the  worship  of  Israel. 

In  the  ark  which  is  discovered  here — the  reference 
being  to  that  which  Moses  made — were  the  "tables  of 
testimony,"  the  golden  pot  of  manna,  and  Aaron's  rod 
which  budded,  all  which  were  figures  of  Christ  as  law- 
Giver  and  life-Giver.  The  book  of  the  law  also  was  kept 
in  the  "side  &f  the  ark/'  and  the  glory  of  God,  also  a 
type  of  Christ,  was  manifested  between  the  two  cherubim 
upon  the  golden  lid:  the  cherub  Avhich  typified  the  Jewish 
dispensation,  was  looking  forivard  to  the  glory  of  the 
Messiah;  and  the  other  cherub,  which  represented  the 
Gentile  times,  was  looking  backzvard  to  the  same  point  of 
glory.  Christ  between  was  and  is  the  only  true  Mediator. 
The  papacy,  in  closing  up  the  house  of  God  from  the 
]ieople,  had  made  the  pope  and  his  })riests  mediators;  and 
in  the  place  of  the  Word  of  God,  they  put  the  traditions 
of  men,  and  the  cajion  lazv  of  priests  and  councils  for  the 
guidance,  or  rather  the  control,  of  the  Church.  But  now 
the  masks  are  torn  off:  a  new  spirit  rules 
Cleansed  now  |]^g  world;  the  temple  is  open  and  ac- 
in  Antitype.  ccssible  to  all — to  the  peasant,  the  com- 
mon people,  priests  and  popes  alike;  the 
ark  of  the  covenant  is  seen — the  visible  glory  and  reign  of 
Christ  throughout  civilization  eclipses  the  medieval  splen- 
dor of  the  antichrist,  reveals  the  tinselry  of  his  unright- 
eous robes,  and  dissipates  the  darkness  that  alone  made 
possible  his  power  among  men. 


432  DIVINE  KEY  OF  THE   REVELATION,     [part.  VII. 

The  direct  description  of  the  events  of  this  trumpet 
closes  here  with — 

"Lightnings,  voices,  thunderings,  an  earth- 
quake and  great  hail." — The  temple  being  now  opened, 
and  the  truth  freed  for  common  investigation,  (1)  division 
naturally  resulted,  through  contention  for  and  against  it, 
among  the  people;  (2)  an  upheaval,  or  revolution,  in  the 
empire;  and  (3)  great  truths  rained  down  with  cutting 
eflPects  upon  the  shattered  remains  of  the  old  regime.  A 
writer  in  the  New  York  Independent,  in  1871  or  1872,  drew 
the  following  vivid  picture: — 

"The   great   Powers   assembled   themselves   together,    more 
than  fifty  years  ago,  in  the  name  of  the  'Holy 
Real  Object         and  Undivided  Trinity,'  to  secure  the  perma- 
and  Failure        neut    estaMisJiment    of    such    prerogatives    of 
o'  ***«'  despotism  as  had  survived  the  earthquake  of 

Holy  Alliance,  the  French  Revolution,  and  the  fiery  whirl- 
wind of  the  Napoleonic  wars  that  came  after 
it.  They  did  their  work  well,  being  wise  in  their  generation; 
and  it  endured  for  a  good  while.  But,  though  they  could  im- 
pose their  will  upon  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  into  which  men 
were  divided,  their  power  ceased  at  the  frontier  of  the  kingdom 
within  men's  breasts,  from  which  all  external  principles  and 
powers  proceed  in  the  last  analysis.  They  could  not  silence 
the  still  small  voice  which,  issuing  from  the  recesses  of  that 
kingdom,  was  heard  prophesying  the  downfall  of  the  Great 
Babylon  which  they  thotiglit  they  were  building  to  endure  for- 
ever. [And  thought,  perhaps,  correctly  enough,  but  for  the 
oncoming  woe!]  And  in  due  time  decrees  went  forth  from  that 
kingdom  within  overturning  dynasties,  changing  the  outward 
face  of  Europe,  annulling  treaties,  repealing  laws,  and  making 
a  very  different  icorld  from  that  which  had  been  ordained  in 
1815.     And  the  signs  of  the  times  are  still  threatening  in  their 

aspect, 

— '  with  fear  of  change 
Perplexing  monarchs.' " 

Why  this  wonderful  change?  Were  men,  of  them- 
selves,  grown   better?    No,   indeed;   but   there   was    an 


CHAP.  XXX.]  SEVENTH   TRUMPET— THIRD  WOE.  433 

almighty  and  all-beneficial  Killer  upon  the  throne  which 
the  Seer  of  Patmos  saw;  and  the  "due  time"  mentioned 
in  this  forecast  was  after  this  seventh  trumpet  sounded. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  revolutionaiy  spirit  of  1848 
shook  every  throne  in  Europe.  The  English  author  of  a 
French  history  says: — 

"The  echo  of  the  French   Revohition  of   1848  made   itself 
heard,  as  usual,  throughout  continental  Europe. 
A  Symbolic  The    revolt    of    the    Hungarians,    headed    by 

Eartiiauake.  Louis  Kossuth,  became  extremely  formidable: 
.  .  .  the  emperor  fled  from  Vienna  to  Ins- 
briick,  and  terror  and  anarchy  reigned  throughout  the  empire. 
....  Intense  agitation  was  likewise  excited  at  Rome,  where 
the  reigning  pontiff,  Pius  IX.,  had  for  some  years  shown  him- 
self disposed  to  grant  considerable  reforms,  [under  the  mighty 
stress  of  new  conditions  which  he  could  not  control!]  and  had 
appointed  a  libeial  and  constitutional  government.  A  violent 
tumult  was  raised  by  the  Democrats  in  November  (1848),  and 
the  prime  minister,  Count  Rossi,  was  brutally  assassinated  on 
his  way  to  the  opening  of  the  legislative  chamber.  The  palace 
of  the  Quirinal  was  next  besieged  by  the  armed  populace,  and 
fresh  concessions  were  forcibly  extorted  from  the  pope.  Find- 
ing he  was  no  longer  an  independent  sovereign,  Pius  quitted 
Rome  secretly  and  in  disguise,  on  the  24th  of  November,  and 
took  refuge  in  Gaeta,  in  the  Neapolitan  territory.  A  revolu- 
tionary government  was  forthwith  established  at  Rome,  which 
decreed  the  deposition  of  the  pope,  and  proclaimed  a  Republic. 
Events  of  the  same  kind  took  place  at  Florence  in  February, 
1849;  the  grand-duke  fled  from  his  capital,  and  embarked  for 
Gaeta;  and  a  provisional  executive  was  immediately  installed." 
— Student's  France,  p.  700. 

This  revolution  was  little  less  worthy  of  the  symbolic 
name  earthquake,  than  its  great  predecessor,  imder  the 
sixth  seal  and  trumpet.  It  was  not  called  a  great  earth- 
quake, as  was  that:  it  was  less  violent,  shocking  and  bloody; 
but  it  was  much  more  extensive  in  immediate  or  directly 
out-reaching  effects.     Another  .writer  says: — 


434  DIVINE   KEY  OF   THE  REVELATION.      [PART  vii. 

"In  1848,  the  French  Revolution  spread  the  spirit  of  revolt 
into  Germany,  causing  many  of  the  sovereigns  to  grant  char- 
ters to  their  people,  or  to  fly  before  the  popular  insurrection. 
The  Germanic  Confederation  was  [for  a  time]  broken  up." — 
Savage,  TJie  World,  Geograph.,  Histor.,  and  Statis.,  p.  3^8. 

Not  France  only,  but  all  surrounding  peoples  seemed 
mad  with  their  governments  or  governors,  stirred  by  the 
influences  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  trumpet  ago  .nst  the 
"inhabiters  of  the  earth/'  (rulers,)  who  were  thus  writhing 
under  its  "woe."  Speaking  of  Austria,  the  same  writer 
says: — 

"In  April  (1848),  the  emperor  (of  Austria)  and  his  ministers 
promulgated  a  constitution.  The  turbulence  of  faction  increased, 
and  the  country  became  a  scene  of  anarchy  and  disorganiza- 
tion, nation  fighting  against  nation,  and  race  against  race. 
Cities  were  burnt  and  pillaged,  and  ultimately  the  emperor 
was  obliged  to  fly  from  the  capital  and  take  refuge  in  his 
Sclavonic  dominions.  Finding  himself  powerless,  and  unable 
longer  to  cope  with  the  disturbed  state  of  matters,  he  finally 
abdicated  his  throne  in  favor  of  his  nephew,  Joseph  Francis,  on 
the  2d  of  December." — lb.,  p.  340. 

Continuing  the  quotations,  Mr.  Savage  speaks  of  the 
revolution  in  other  countries  as  follows: — 

"In  i848-'49,  the  Magyars  declared  Hungary  to  be  separated 
from  the  crown  of  Austria,  and  a  sanguinary  civil  war  ensued, 
which  was  terminated  by  the  intervention  of  Russia  with  an 
army  of  200,000  men."  (lb.,  p.  344.)  "Frederick  William  IV. 
ascended  the  throne  of  Prussia  -n  1840.  An  extensive  revolu- 
tion was  begun  in  1847,  and  serious  conflicts  occurred  between 
the  people  and  the  soldiers,  which  were  suspended  by  the  king 
yielding  a  liberal  constitution.  (lb.,  p.  349.)  In  Denmark, 
"Holstein  and  Schleswig  revolted,  and  a  bloody  war  ensued." 
(JK  p.  352.) 


CONCLUSION. 


What  lurther  need  be  said?  Surely,  this  extensive 
political  earthquake  was  worthy  of  its  place  in  prophecy. 
The  "might/'  rainbow  angel  appeared  in  1840,  declaring 
the  seventh  trumpet  would  sound  in  1843.  Immediately, 
the  world  was  filled  with  the  controversy  of  the  ''  voices  " 
concerning  the  fall  of  Babylon,  and  the  righteous  reign  of 
God  in  His  judgments  upon  Jezebel  and  Rome,  and  this 
second  earthquake  of  1848.  Could  any  imagined  arrange- 
ment of  the  events  of  history  better  suit  the  demands  of 
the  prophecy,  in  all  its  details,  from  the  first  revolution  of 
1789  to  that  of  1848,  than  that  which  has  now  been  set 
before  the  reader? 

Yet  many  people  suppose  that  these  prophecies  are 

not  sufficiently  exhausted  for  an  expeeta- 
A  Popular  ^^^^  ^f  ^^ie  comiug  of  the  Lord,  until  the 

Misconception,    ^ery  personnel  of  Eome  shall  be  destroyed, 

and  of  the  Turk  also,  or,  at  least,  that  he 
be  "driven  out  of  Europe."  They  say,  "Romanism  and 
Islamism  live  and  flourish  still."  Not  so:  they  live  and 
languish,  exactly  as  the  "plagues"  and  judgments  require. 
For  the  physical  destruction  of  neither  of  those  Powers  is 
anywhere  made  a  subject  of  symbol  or  a  sign  of  the  Ad- 
vent. Final,  eternal  judgment  and  punishment  is  no- 
Avhere  in  the  Word  of  God  left  to  figure,  symbol,  parable, 
or  allegory,  but  set  in  plain,  positive  language. — "Dust 
thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return."*     "The  soul 

*  Gen.  iii.  19. 

435 


436  DIVINE   KEY   OF  THE   REVEI«ATION.      [part  vil. 

that  sinueth,  it  shall  die."^  "Shall  utterly  perish  in  their 
own  corruption."-  "To  whom  is  reserved  the  blaclcness 
of  darkness  forever."^  "The  end  of  those  things  is 
death."*  "The  wages  of  sin  is  death;"^  but  the  gift  of 
God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."^  It 
is  not  the  being  or  vital  existence  of  either  Eome,  the  pap- 
acy or  Eomanism,  nor  the  Porte  or  Islamism,  but  their 
supremacy  as  Powers,  that  is  the  subject  and  burden  of 
these  prophecies.  Eomanism  may  no  more  tread  under 
foot  the  saints,  with  iron  heel;  but,  according  to  the  spirit 
and  light  of  the  new  age,  she  and  "her  children"  may  as 
freely  propagate  her  exposed  and  putrid  traditions  and 
creeds,  if  she  will,  as  may  the  true  heralds  of  the  cross 
and  of  the  coming  One  hold  forth  the  Word  of  Life.  The 
periods  also  of  predicted  Moslem  "woes" — of  prophetic 
"torment,"  and  of  killing  symbolic  "men" — are  expired, 
clearly  so.  These  are  the  signs  of  JESUS'  COMING. 
What  will  be  the  residts  of  that  coming?  We  read  in  a 
literal  account:  "Whom  the  Lord  shall  consume  [as  we 
have  seen]  with  the  spirit  of  His  mouth,  [His  Word,  as 
we  have  been  showing]    and   shall  DESTEOY  with 

THE  BRIGHTNESS  OF  HIS  COMING"   (2  Thcs.  ii.   8). 

The  depletion  of  those  prophetic  Powers,  and  the 
destruction  of  their  supremacy,  surely  stand  out  in  bold 
relief  in  this,  our  Lord's,  great  prophetico-historic  paint- 
ing. Can  we,  then,  avoid  the  conviction  that  the  series 
of  Trumpets,  like  those  of  the  Churches  and  Seals,  has 
already  a  clear-  fulfillment,  in  all  its  herein  described 
features,  portrayed  on  the  pages  of  the  world's  volume  of 
authentic  history?  Ah,  here  it  stands,  calmly  waiting 
the  last  jots  and  tittles  to  be  filled  in,  wooing  attention, 
and  commanding  faith  for  readiness  when  the  last  shall 
come  ! 

»  Eze  xviii.  4,  20.    2  2  Pet.  u  12.    ^  Jude  13.    ■•  '■>  Ro.  vi.  22.  23.    ^VVho  is  "the 
Resurrection  and  the  Life.  "    (John  xi.  25). 


CHAP.  XXX.]  CONCLUSION.  437 

Thus  the  three  great  septenaro-prophetic  series,  now- 
passed  over,  end  alike,  in  that  neither 
Last  Things.  niinutelj  describes  the  very  last  events, 
as  zee  might  expect  them  to  do.  Faith, 
and  zvatchiiig  for  the  last,  after  so  much  has  been  given, 
are  what  God  evidently  expects  and  designed.  Sturdy  faith 
and  intelligent  watching  is  certainly  calculated  to  please 
the  Lord.  The  seventh  church  period  closed,  after  many 
details  relative  to  its  lukewarmness,  with  "Behold,  I  stand 
at  the  door,  and  knock!"  The  very  next  thing,  then, 
would  be  the  entrance.  He  knocks  at  the  door  of  the 
Church's  attention  and  love  by  the  signs  of  His  coming, 
which  are  minutely  described  in  Matthew  xxiv.,  and  Luke 
xxi.,  and  therefore  need  not  be  detailed  again  in  either 
of  these  series  of  views.  So  neither  need  the  knocking  of 
Laodicea  be  repeated  under  the  seventh  seal,  nor  the  last 
trumpet. 

The  seventh  seal,  therefore,  after  detailing  the  work 
of  the  rainbow  angel,  his  Joyous  message,  his  mistake  and 
bitter  experience,  and  the  command  and  preparation  to 
prophesy  again,  closes  with  the  first  French  Kevolution, 
and  the  announcement  of  the  second  woe  past,  and  the 
third  woe  coming  quickly. 

The  last  trumpet  has  the  proclamation  of  the  king- 
dom of  the  world  reverted  to  God  and  Christ,  the  Church's 
rejoicing  at  the  fact,  and  the  anger  of  the  nations;  the 
time  of  their  {corrective)  judgment,  the  vindication  of  the 
saints  through  an  earnest  of  reward,  the  opened  temple, 
and  the  discovered  ark;  the  lightning  of  division,  the 
voices  and  thunder  of  contention  concerning  truth  and 
error,  right  and  wTong,  and  the  earthquake 
Great  Hail.  which,  as  we  have  seen,  followed  quickly; 
and,  finally,  closes  with  the  great  hail. 
Hail  has  been  already  defined  as  truth,  the  only  thing 


438  DIVINE   KEY    OF   THE    REVELATION.       [parT  VII. 

which  caa  sweep  away  the  "refuge  of  lies."  We  have 
pointed  out,  in  part,  the  heresy  of  the  "orthodox"  creeds, 
a  tissue  of  falsity,  and  a  refuge  of  error;  and  the  great 
liail  from  the  Word  of  God,  the  truth  concerning  the 
nature  and  character  of  God,  the  original  and  the  present 
nature  of  Christ,  the  present  and  the  prospective  nature  of 
man,  etc.,  is  sweeping  away  from  the  minds  of  willing 
and  teachable  disciples  the  foundations  laid  in  Roman 
Catholic  councils  for  Trinitarianism,  pre-existentism,  and 
the  }iaftiral  immortality  of  the  soul  in  man.  Let  them 
go!     Let  the  pure  Word  of  God  remain! 

The  trumpet,  let  it  be  noticed,  does  not  close  where 

these  descriptions  do;  but  embraces  many 
Resurrection  j^q^  jggg  important  iteuis,  which  have  more 
*"'*  special  relation   to   some   other  prophecy 

Translation.        qj.  geries,  as  the  seven  last  plagues,  etc., 

and  are,  therefore,  reserved  for  such  state- 
ments to  follow  on  in  due  order,  as  being  sufficient.  For 
instance,  the  Apostle  Paul  adds  the  grand  climacteric 
prophecy,  which  so  nearly  locates  that  event  of  all  events, 
and  to  which  all  others  point,  when  he  declares  that  "We 
shall  not  all  sleep,  but  Ave  shall  all  be  changed,  in  a  moment, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  sound  of  the  last  trumpet; 
for  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised 
incorruptible,  and  zve  shall  be  cJianged.'^  (1  Cor.  xv. 
51,  52.) 

"O,   GLORIOUS  day  of  heavenly   rest! 

We  hail  each  sign  of  thee; 
With  eager  hearts  and  longing  eyes 

We  wait  thy  dawn  to  see. 
Those  gilded  rays  of  glory  bright. 

Resplendent  as  the  sun, 
Must  soon  to  every  eye  make  known 

The  holy  coming   One." 


CHAP.  XXX.]  CONCLUSION.  439 

With  cheerful  hope,  though  tearful  eyes, 

Still  trusting   in  thy   Word, 
We  long  to  see  the  eastern  skies 

Reveal  thy  advent,  Lord. 
Then  would  our  waiting  souls  rejoice, 

Could  we  thy  face  behold; 
In  ages  of  triumphant  bliss, 

Whose  joys  can  ne'er  be  told." 

ir  L  lia\e  mapped  out  the  events  of  these  trunipets 
aright,  evidently  this  glorious  consunniiation  event  is  near 
at  hand,  if  not  already  quite  due.  Momentous  conclusion! 
Blessed,  blessed  hope!  The  palpable  facts  are  before  us: 
we  are  living  in  the  seventh  and  last  phase  of  Church 
liistory — Laodicea,  the  judgment  ago;  amid  the  closing 
events  of  the  seventh  and  last  seal;  and  the  seventh  and 
last  trumpet  has  been  sounding  for  half  a  century:  its 
last  crucial  and  glorious  event  must  be  at  hand.  Let  the 
sinner  fly  to  the  only  Refuge!  Let  the  Church  rejoice, 
and  be  robed  and  ready!  Then  will  she  shout  the  glad 
response,  ''Amen!  even  so,  come,  lord  jesus!" 

We  have  now  completed  the  exposition  of  eleven 
chapters  of  the  "Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,"  and  there  are 
eleven  chapters  more,  which  must  be  reserved  for  a  futtire 
volume  in  the  near  future,  the  Lord  willing,  and  tarrying 
His  coming  for  another  year  or  more. 

I  trust  the  work,  through  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
will  prove  helpful  to  all  who  give  it  attention,  and  that  the 
result  will,  in  some  degree,  redound  to  the  glory  of  God 
and  our  Saviour.  And,  oh,  may  reader  and  writer  be  ever 
filled  with  the  blessed  Spirit,  and  zcaiting.  and  zvafching, 
and  ready  for 

"HIS      APPEARING." 


APPENDIX. 


The  following  letter  from  Joshua  V.  Hinies,  the  most  intimate 
associate  of,  and  the  publisher  for, William  Miller  during  the  whole 
movement,  from  1839  to  1850,  explains  and  speaks  for  itself.  It  was 
written  for  The  Outlook^  (formerly  The  Christian  Union,)  and 
published  in  that  paper  in  1894,  during  a  temporary  revival  of  the 
falsehood,  under  the  heading  : — 

ASCENSION    ROBES   AGAIN. 

We  are  glad  to  be  able  to  print  the  following  letter  from 
"  Father  Himes,"  who  is  undoubtedly  the  best  living  authority  on 
the  question  which  has  interested  so  many  of  our  readers.  We 
have  also  received  several  other  letters  from  correspondents  to  the 
effect  that  they  had  heard  of  ascension  robes,  or  knew  of  the  gen- 
eral belief  in  them,  but  no  one  has.  we  believe,  asserted  that  he 
actually  laid  eyes  on  an  ascension  robe,  with  the  exception  of  the 
writer  of  the  short  letter  added  to  that  of  Mr.  Himes.  -  The  Editors. 

To  THE  Editors  of  "The  (jutlook:"— I  have  been  much  interested 
In  the  articles  lately  appearing  in  "The  Outlook"  upon  the  question 
of  ascension  robes.  I  am  glad  that  public  interest  has  been  again 
aroused  upon  this  topic,  for  it  is  time  it  should  be  settled,  and  set- 
tled right;    and  nothing  is  truly  settled  until  it  is  settled  right. 

I  wish  to  say  that  I  was  intimately  associated  with  William 
Miller  for  eleven  years,  beginning  in  1839;  that  with  him  I  attended 
hundreds  of  meetings,  laboring  with  him  in  public  and  private,  and 
was  with  him  at  his  home  in  the  State  of  New  York  on  the  night 
of  the  tenth  day  of  the  seventh  month,  when  we  expected  the  Lord 
to  come;  and,  having  had  a  perfect  knowledge  of  everything  con- 
nected with  that  worlc,  I  Ijnow  the  whole  story  of  ascension  robes 
to  be  a  concoction  of  the  enemies  of  the  Adventists,  begotten  of 
religious  prejudices,  and  that  there  is  not  a  scintilla  of  truth  In  It. 
No  wonder  the  writer  In  "The  Outlook"  of  October  27  did  not  give 
his  name  and  address.  The  statement  that  "to  be  prepared,  dressed 
In  their  ascension  robes,  was  the  instruction  given  by  their  leaders 
to  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Millerites,"  is  almost  too  silly  to  be 
noticed.  The  writer  originated,  and  with  others  signed,  the  call 
for  the  first  Adventist  conference,  which  was  held  with  the  church 
over  which  he  was  pastor  in  Boston,  Mass.,   In  1840. 

During  those  eventful  days,  from  1840  to  1844,  and  for  several 
years  after,  I  had  charge  of  all  their  publishing  work,  and  no  man. 
living  or  dead,  knew  better  what  was  taught  and  done  by  Advent- 
ists than  did   I.     There  were  some  excesses,   such  as  always  attend 

440 


APPENDIX.  441 

great  religious  upheavals,  but  they  were  not  committed  by  the  "In- 
struction of  their  leaders,"  and  the  putting  on  of  ascension  robes 
was  not  one  of  those  excesses. 

When  these  stories  first  started,  and  while  I  was  publishing  In 
the  Interests  of  the  Adventist  cause,  I  kept  a  standing  offer,  in 
the  paper  of  which  I  was  editor,  of  a  large  reward  for  one  well- 
nuthonticated  case  where  an  ascension  robe  was  worn  by  those  look- 
ing for  the  Lord's  return.  No  such  proof  has  ever  been  forthcom- 
ing. It  was  always  rumor,  and  nothing  more.  Absolute  evidence 
never  has  been  furnished.  It  has  always  been  one  of  those  delight- 
ful falsehoods  which  many  people  have  wanted  to  believe,  and  hence 
its  popularity  and  perpetuity  until  this  present  day.  I  have  refuted 
the  story  hundreds  of  times,  in  both  the  "Advent  Herald"  In  Boston 
Mass.,  and  in  the  "Midnight  Cry"  in  New  York,  which  had  a  circu- 
lation of  tens  of  thousands  of  copies;  and  no  accusers  ever  made 
an  attempt  to  defend  themselves,  although  I  held  my  columns  open 
to  them  to  do  so.  And  now,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years,  with  a  full  per- 
sonal experience  of  those  times,  before  God,  who  is  my  Judge,  and 
before  whose  tribunal  I  must  soon  appear,  I  declare  again  that  the 
ascension-robe  story  is  a  tissue  of  falsehoods  from  beginning  to  end, 
and  I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  deny  it  once  more  before  I  die. 

The  preparation  urged  upon  the  "rank  and  file"  of  those  looking 
for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  was  a  preparation  of  heart  and  life  by  a 
confession  of  Christ,  a  forsaking  of  their  sins  and  living  a  godly  life; 
and  the  only  robes  they  were  exhorted  to  put  on  were  the  robes  of 
righteousness  obtained  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ— garments  made  white 
In  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Nothing  of  an  outward  appearance  was 
ever  thought  of  or  mentioned.  Joshua  V.  IIimes, 

Rector  St.  Andrew's  Episcopal  Church,  Elk  Point,  South  Dakota. 
October  29,  1894. 

Following  is  the  letter  referred  to,  of  which  a  writer  remarks  ; 
■'The  letter  per  contra,  being  a  childish  recollection,  could  hardly 
be  received  in  a  court  of  law  as  satisfactory  evidence,  particularly 
as  against  the  testimony  of  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Himes  :  — 

To  THE  Editors  op  "The  Outlook:"— I  can  answer  for  ascension 
robes  on  the  Millerites  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  but  cannot  tell  the  date.  They 
were  gathered  in  an  assembly-room  on  the  west  side  of  Fourth 
street,  just  below  what  was  then  Albany  street,  but  now  Broadway. 
I  was  a  child,  and,  with  other  children  (I  think  we  were  coming  from 
school),  went  up  the  steps  softly  and  carefully,  as  though  we  were 
approaching  a  horror  or  something  uncanny;  standing  at  the  door 
we  peei)ed  in,  taking  one  good  look,  and  then  scampered  awav  as 
fast  as  our  feet  could  carry  us,  scared  at  having  seen  the  saints  in 
their  white  robes.  H.   W.  B. 

Troy,  N.  Y. 

The  15th  Psalm,  and  the  Scriptures  generally,  denounce  the 
taking  up  of  false  reports  against  a  neighbor.  The  spirit  of  this 
letter  is  easily  discerned.     It  is  not  a  new  thing  under  the  sun  for 


442  DIVINE    KEY   OF   THE   REVELATION. 

people  who  love  to  embellish  stories  of  their  childhood,  to  repeat 
them — never  diminishing  the  embellishments -until  they  come 
really  to  believe  them  themselves.  It  is  not  denied  that  there 
were  many  people  at  that  time  that  suggested  in  ridicule  that  the 
"  Millerites  "  were  robing  themselves  "  to  go  up  "  in  presence  of 
their  children  and  neighbors.  One  of  those  grown  children  in  my 
presence  a  few  years  since  was  narrating  a  story  similar  to  the 
above,  when  I  said  :  "  Mrs.  West,  did  you  see  the  robes?  "  She 
replied  :  ' '  No  ;  I  did  not  see  them  my  self ,  but  our  neighbors  saw 
them."  Her  daughter,  who  was  listening,  replied  with  manifest 
surprise  :  "  Why  mother,  I  always  understood  you  to  say  that  you 
saw  them."  Her  mother  replied:  "No;  I  can't  say  that  I  saw 
them  myself;  but  there  were  plenty  of  people  who  did."  Shame 
on  such  malicious  testimony,  based  only  on  idle  report,  and  loving 
to  have  it  so.  What  court  would  receive  it,  even  on  the  oath  of 
the  would-be  witness?  This  circumstance  illustrates  how  easily 
falsehoods  are  put  in  circulation  for  truth,  through  misplaced  con- 
fidence in  gossipers. 

B. 

The  following  is  from  an  editorial  in  The  Advent  Christian 
Quarterly  for  January,  1870,  on  this  same  theme,  and  shows  the 
onlv  real  foimdation  for  any  such  mocking  stories  : — 

'A8CENSI0N  ROBES.' 

'A  great  multitnrte,    *    *    *    clothed  with  white  ro))es'— Rev.  vii.  9. 

"Adventists  have  ever  loved  to  dwell  upon  the  passages  from 
the  Revelator's  vivid  pen  where  he  describes  the  great  company  he 
saw  in  vision,  wearing  white  robes,  with  palms  of  victory  in  their 
hands.  To  be  of  that  company  is  to  attain  all  that  God  has  promised 
to  fallen  man  through  our  Saviour. 

'We  have  heard  of  the  robe,  and  the  palm,  and  the  crown, 
And  the  silvery  band  in  white,' 

and  we  love  to  talk  and  sing  of  them.  And  not  only  so,  but  we  un- 
derstand the  Imagery,  and  can  talk  of  them  understandingly.  In 
the  palm  we  see  the  emblem  of  victory,  eternal  victory  over  mor- 
tality and  death.  •  •  »  •  The  crown  we  look  for  is  a  crown  of  life, 
of  life  eternal;  for  it  fadetb  not  away.  It  will  be  given  when  the 
Chief  Shepherd  shall  appear.  (1  Pet.  v.  4.)  It  means  a  body  fasti- 
loned   like  unto  Christ's  glorious  body,   Incapable  of  death. 

"And  we  look  for  a  'robe,'  Indeed,  as  Jesus  has  counseled  us  to 
do,  that  we  'may  be  clothed,  and  that  the  shame  of  our  nakedness 
do  not  appear.'  (Rev.  iii.  18.)  This  garment  is  described  in  Scripture 
phrase  as  of  'fine  linen,  clean  and  white,  which  [dropping  the  meta- 
phor] is  the  righteousness  of  saints.'     (Rev.  six.  8.)    •    *    •    *    This  is 


APPENDIX.  443 

our  expected  robe.  To  none  wearing  this  will  It  ever  be  said:  'Friend, 
bow  earnest  thou  in  hither  not  having  on  a  wedding  garment?'  This 
robe  entitles  the  wearer  to  be  caught  up,  or  ascend  to  meet  the  Lord 
In  the  air,  to  enter  through  the  gates  Into  the  city  to  the  marriage 
of  the  Lamb,  and  so  may,  adopting  the  language  of  our  assailants, 
very  properly  be  called  an  'ascension  robe.'    ♦    *    •    ♦ 

"From  the  frequent  expression  of  our  hope  to  receive  this  robe, 
with  palm  and  crown,  our  opponents,  both  in  and  out  of  the  Church, 
have. constructed  not  a  few  scandals;  and  among  the  most  senseless 
of  these  are  the  'ascension  robe'  stories.  Doubtless  It  would  be  stoop- 
ing for  us  to  notice  tbcm  in  these  pages,  were  It  not  for  the  fact 
that  the  falsehood  has  been  put  on  enduring  record,  for  the  little 
^^'hile  time  may  last,  in  works  to  which  the  public  turn  with  con^- 
rtence  for  correct  information  on  the  topics  presented. 

'"The  New  American  Encyclopaedia,'  published  by  the  Appletons, 
of  New  York,  and  edited  by  Charles  A.  Dana  and  George  Ripley,  has 
given  character  to  this  libel,  which  will  cause  many  to  believe  It 
true,  spite  of  any  testimony  we  could  bring  to  the  contrary.  Yet 
this  authoritative  and  generally  accurate  work,  and  popular  notions 
to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  we  challenge  the  proof  that  any 
Adventist,  ever,  anywhere,  under  any  circumstances,  prepared  an 
'ascension  robe.' " 

The  editor  proceeds  to  quote  the  article  as  it  appears  in  the 
enc3clopedia,  under  the  heading,  William  Miller  (to  which  I  must 
refer  the  reader)  and  remarks  :  — 

"That  nothing  might  be  wanting  to  complete  the  Injustice  of  this 
sketch,  the  first  part  of  it  was  sent  in  the  proof-sheets,  to  'The 
Advent  Herald'  office  in  Boston,  for  correction  as  to  dates  and  minor 
details.  As  it  stood  it  was  as  fair  an  account  of  the  Advent  move- 
ment as  could  be  expected  from  those  having  no  sympathy  for  it. 
Kut  the  allusion  to  ascension  robes  was  not  In  those  proof-sheets;  it 
was  added  after  the  Information  asked  for  was  received  from  the 
'Herald'  office.  What  motives  influenced  the  editors  of  that  great 
work  to  publish  a  scandal  calculated  to  create  prejudice  against  us, 
without  giving  an  opportunity  for  refutation,  we  will  not  undertake 
to  define;  certainly  they  were  not  of  a  very  high  order.  And  unfor- 
tunately for  their  credit  for  accnrncy  In  dealing  with  an  unpopular 
movement,  they  have  contradicted  themselves  in  their  record  of  us. 
After  stating  that  the  Adventlsts.  once  numbering  from  30,000  to  50,000, 
'still  exist,  but  with  greatly  diminished  numbers,'  the  editors,  In  Vol. 
XIV.,  p.  484,  say:  'They  have  now  four  or  five  periodicals,  and  num- 
ber near  or  quite  IGO.OOO  members  In  the  United  States,  British  Amer- 
ica and  Great  Britain.'  In  one  volume  we  have  'greatly  diminished 
in  numbers;'    In  another  our  numbers  are  trebbled!! 

"The  attention  of  the  publishers  of  the  encyclopaedia  was  called 
to  these  errors  years  ago;  but  it  still  continues  to  bear  false  wltneea 
against  us." 

Belcher's  History  of  Religious  Denominations,  and  other 
similar  works  repeat  such  falsehoods  ad  nauseam,  which  we  have 
pot  space  to  notice  here, 


INDEX 


TEXTS  OF  SCRIPTURE  (OUTSIDE  THE  REVELATION)  TREATED  OR  CITED. 


Genesis  i.  i,  p.  129;  20,  21,  24 
30,  p.  112;  ii.  1-4,  p.  129;  7 
p  112  ;  17,  p.  116  ;  iii.  19,  p 
435  ;  vii.  22,  p.  115  ;  ix.  4,  p 
30;  12-15,  P-  190;  xvii.  5,  p 
133;  5,  15.  P-  61  ;  xxii.  12-18; 
P-  134- 

Exodus  X.  14,  15,  p.  380;  xix  5, 
6,  pp.  52,  76,  157  ;  9  17  ;  xxiii. 
20-22 ;  xxiv.  10;  xxxiii.  ii-2j, 
p.  118, 

Numbers  viii.  8-10,  p.  90 ;  xi. 
16,  17,  24,  25,  p.  336  ;  xiv.  34, 
p.  loi  ;  xxiii,  21,  p.  158  ;  xxii., 
xxiii  ,  xxiv.  p.  88  ;  xxv.  1-3, 
p.  89. 

Deuteronomy  vi.  24,  p.  193  ; 
xxviii.  46,  p.  50  ;  xxxiii.  4,  5, 
p.  158. 

Judges  xiii.  20-22,  p.  118. 

I  Kings  vi.  23,  p.  304;  xi.  1-9, 
pp.  299,  300 ;  xvi.  31-33,  p.  98. 
2  Kings  ix.,  x.,  p.  98. 

Psalms  xvii.  15,  p.  275  ;  xxv.  14, 
p.  24;  xxxi.  17,  p.  no;  xxxiii. 
6,  p.  113  ;  6,  9,  p.  129  ;  xlvii. 
5-7,  p.  341  ;  Ixviii.  S,  p.  118; 
18,  p.  133;  Ixxvii.  17,  18,  p. 
339;  xcv.  7,  p.  54;  xcvii.  4, 
P-  339;  cv.  39,  p.  256;  ex.  2, 
p.  52;  cxv.  17,  p.  363;  cxvi. 
15,  P- 153 ;  cxviii.  22-24,  p.  54 ; 
cxix.  175;  cxhi,  2-4,  p.  363. 
445 


Ecclesiastes    iii.   18-22,  p.  115; 

ix.  4-10,  pp.  no,  363. 
Isaiah  ii.  2,  12,  17,  p.  337  ;  19-21, 

p.  338;  10-21,  p.  238;  iv.  4,  p. 

343;   v.  24,  25;   ix.   18-21,  X. 

16-19,  P-  348;  xvi.  5,  p.  259; 

xxviii.  7-18,  p.  259;  2,  17,  p. 

342  ;  XXX.  27,  p.  258  ;  27-30.  p. 

343  :  xxxi.  6-9,  p.  347;  xl.  3-9, 
p.  339;  xxxiv.  8-10.  p.  348; 
xlix.  8-10,  257;  Ixi.  I,  2,  p. 
258;  Ixv.  13-15,  p.  351  :  Ixvi. 
12-16,  p.  352. 

Jeremiah  ii.  13,  p.  259  ;  v.  14,  p. 

342 ;    10-14,   p.    2^8 ;   XV.    14, 

xvi.  12,  13,  p.  350;  xvii.  1-4, 

p.  349  ;  7,  8,  p.  344  ;  xxv.  27, 

33,  p.  351  ;  xxviii.  28,  29,  pp. 

258,  342  ;  30,  P-  161 ;  Ii.  25,  26, 

P-  347- 
Lamentations  v.  16-18,  p.  346. 
Ezekiel  iv.  1-6,  p.  loi  ;  xviii.  4, 

20,  p.  436;  xxi.  25-27,  p.  158  ; 

xxviii.  I -14,  p.  77  ;  xxxvii.  16, 

22,  24-28,  p.  191;  xl.  3,  5,  p. 

296. 
Daniel  ii.  37,   p.  241  ;  42,  43,  p. 

248  ;  iv.  25,  26,  pp.  207-8,  242  ; 

vii.  2,  p.  246  ;  9,  10,  p.  241  ; 

II,  12,  pp.  102,  368  ;  21,  p.  102  ; 

26,  p.  242 ;  22,  26,  pp.  226-7  ; 

23-27,  p.  104  ;  viii.  10-I2,  14, 

17,  p.  289;  12,  24,  25,  p.    102 


446 


INDEX    OF   TEXTS. 


24,  p.  223 ;  X.  1,  14,  p.  22  ;  xi. 

31,  pp.  289,  296,  302  ;  28-31,  p. 

299  (note) ;  31-33,  p.  224  ;  34, 

p.  222  ;  xii.  4,  9,  p.  197  ;  11,  12, 

13,  p.  290  (note). 
Hosea  xiii.  7,  8,  p.  158. 
Joel  ii.  25,  p.  380. 
Amos  ix.  9,  p.  238. 
Habakkuk  ii.  2,  3,  p.  288. 
Haggai  ii.  6-9,  pp.  238,  373. 
Zechariah  ii.  8,  iv.  6,  10,  14,  p. 

Sf^S;  7,  P-  347;  vi.  13,  p.  52; 

xiii.  I,  p.  54  ;  7-9,  pp.  222,  345  ; 

xiv.  6-8,  pp.  54,  62. 
Malachi  iii.  2,  3,  pp.  66,  238  ;  2- 

4,  P-  343- 
Matthew  iv.  4,  p.  89 ;  v.  14,  16, 
P-  59;  19,  P-  138;  vi.  22,  p. 
194;  vii.  21-26,  p.  284;  X.  28, 
pp.  II r,  123  (note)  ;  xi.23,  p. 
324  ;  xii.  28,  p.  190  ;  40,  p.  167  ; 
xiii.  33,  p.  157  ;  xvi.  18,  p.  52  ; 

19,  pp.  158,  182  ;  xviii.  17,  18, 
PP- 52-3,  182;  xix. 27-30,  p.  49; 
xxiv.  3,  p.  198  ;  14,  p.  160  ;  15, 
16,  p.  217;  27,  30,  p.  50;  32, 

33.  P-  17S;  36,  p.  19S;  46,  47, 
p.  24;  XXV.  1-13,  p.  163;  14, 
p.  172;  xxviii.  18,  p.  48;  18, 

20,  pp.  194,  209. 

INIark  iv.  26-29,  p.  157  ;  xiii.  20, 

p.  222;  32,  p.  23;  35,    37,  p. 

123  (note). 
Luke  i.  33,  p.  48;  35,  ii.  40,  52, 

42-47,  p.    176;   iii.    15,    167; 

21-23,  p.  176  ;  38,  pp.  109,  132  ; 

iv.  18-20,  p.  258;  ix.  i-ii,  p. 

189;   62,   p.  153;   X.   i-ii,  p. 

189;  xi.  52,  p.  159;  xii.  34-37, 

p.    179;   38-42,  pp.   179,   180; 


43,  44,  p.  180;  49-53.  P-  337; 

49.  P-  258;  51-53.  P-  192; 
xvi.  16,  p.  336  ;  xvii.  28-30,  p. 
51  ;  XX.  37,  38,  p.  134;  xxi. 
24-36,  p.  163  ;  xxii.  25,  30,  pp. 

I       49.  52,  190- 

!  John  i.  3,  4,  p.  128  ;  3,  7,  10,  17, 

p.   130;  iii.  6,  p.  47;  36,   pp. 

123,  362;  iv.  10-14,  P-  :6;  14. 

p.  123;  v.  39,  p.  307;  vi.  27, 

p.  123;  32,33.53,  54.57.  PP- 

50,  77,  93;  63,  p.  148;  vii.  16, 
17,  p.  139;  viii.  12,  pp.  76,  159; 
13-18,  pp.  47,  306  ;  55-58,  p. 
134;  xi.  25,  26,  pp.  76,  436; 

I       xii.  28-30,  p.  119  ;  49.  50,  p.  23  : 

xiv.  16,  26,  pp.  151  (note),  174  ; 

XV.  1-5,  p.  123  ;  xvi.  12-15,  P- 

24  ;  xvii.  2,  3,  p.  94  ;  3,  p.  120  ; 

5,  p.  134;  17, 19,  p.  251  ;  xviii. 
I       36,  p.  53- 

Acts  ii.  5,  16,  18,  p.  345  ;  31,  p. 
j       no;  36,  p.  48;  46,  47,  p.  70; 

iii.  13,  p.  48;  vii.  38,  p.  52; 

xiii.  32,  33,  pp.  48,  175;  27,  p. 

264  ;  46,  p.  252  ;  46,  47,  p.  344  ; 

xvii.    7,  p.  48  ;    xxviii.  20,  p. 

61. 
Romans  i.  3,  4   pp.  47,  175,  270  ; 

19-25,  p.  265;  ii.  7,  pp.   116, 

271 ;  12-16,  p.  265  ;  iv.  17,  p. 

133;  vi.  17,  18,  p.  194;  ix.  17, 

p.  422  ;  X.  3,  p.  154 ;  4-9,  p. 

193;  17,  pp.  75,  159;  xi.  25, 

p.  61 ;  xiii.  I,  p.  206. 
I  Corinthians  ii.  14,  p.  24 ;  iii.  5 

p.  74 ;  16,  17,  p.  168  ;  iv.  8,  9 

p.  191  ;  9,  16,  p.  79  ;  viii.  6,  p. 

130;  X.  4,  p.  52;  xiii.  12,  pp. 

61,  62;  xiv.  34,  37,  p.  99;  '^Y. 


INDEX   OF  TEXTS. 


447 


24-28,  pp.  48,  183, 202  ;  45,  46, 
p.  128 ;  45-49.  PP-  132,  271 ;  56, 
p.  83. 
2  Corinthians  i.  24,  p.  74;  ii.  12, 
p.   160;  iv.  4,  p.  270;  xiii.  5, 

P-  173- 
Galatians,    ii.  9,  ]).   168;    19,  p. 

223  ;  19,  20,  p.  344 ;  iv.  4,  p. 

176 ;  vi.  16,  p.  61. 
Ephesians  i.  4,  p.  135  ;  ii.  1-6,  p. 

83  ;  20-22,  p.  289  ;  iii.  9,  p.  130  ; 

iv.  4-6,  p.  60. 

Philippians,  iii.  9,  p.  154. 
Colossians  i.  13,  p.  52;  16,  17,  p. 

130  ;  iii.  1-3,  pp.  83,  94 ;  3,  4, 

pp.  94,  123,  254,  362. 

1  Thessalonians  v.  23,  p.  114. 

2  Thessalonians  i.  7,  8,  p.  272  ; 
ii.  1-8,  p.  148 ;  3,  4,  pp.  220; 
296;  7.  P-  74;  10-12,  p.  103; 
13.  P-  251. 

I  Timothy  ii.  2,  p.  350  ;  vi.  13, 
PP   47,  lS  ;  16,  p.  94. 


2  Timothy  iii.  16,  p.  181  ;  1-7,  p. 

198. 
Titus  i.  i-^,  p.  129. 
Hebrews  i.  2,  p.  129;  3,  p.  270; 

ii.  9,  10,  pp.47,  209;  9,  p.  175; 

II,  16,  p.  176;  iii.   13,  iv,  7, 

p.  54;  12,  pp.  114,  129;  15,  16, 

p.  202  ;  v.  7-9,  p.  128 ;  xii.  26- 

28,  p.  239. 
James  i.  12,  p.  94  ;  ii.  5,  p.  79 ; 

V.  20,  p.  94. 

1  Peter  i.  7,  p.  80;  11,  12,  p.  19S  ; 
13,  P-  65  ;  19.  20,  p.  135  ;  ii.  9, 
pp.  191,  202;  iii.   18,  p.  128; 

V.  1-3.  P-  75- 

2  Peter  i.  4,  p.  94  ;  19,  20,  p. 
168;  20,  p.  181;  21,  p.  58;  ii. 
12,  p.  436;  iii.  7,  p.  272;  16, 
p.  138. 

I  John  i.  I,  2,  p.  129;  ii.  20,  27, 
p.  174;  V.  6-8,  p.  271;  9-13, 
P-  93;  12,  p.  123;  II,  12,  pp. 
260,362. 

Jude  12,  p.  138;   13,  p.  436. 


INDEX 

OF 

Authors,  Cyclopaedias,  etc.,  Quoted  or  Referred  to. 


Abbott,  Dr.  Lyman,  The  Outlook,  (Nov.  1894,)  264  (note),  440. 
Abbolt,  J.  S.  C.  D.D.,  Hist  of  Christ.,  148,  375,  381,  421,  2-3-4-5. 
Alford,  Heury,  D.D..  Ne7u  Tfstament for  t.nglish  Readers,  38. 
Alison,  Archibald,  F.R  S.E.,  ///.y/.  i5"?^r(9/)^,  229-30-31,  236-7,310-19 
Andreas,  (seventh  ceutui}-,)  38. 
Arethas,  (sixth  century,)  38. 
Arius,  (fourlh  century,)  125,  126. 
Augustine,  (fourth  century,)  133. 

Bayne,  Dr.  Peter,  Martin  Luther,  His  Life  and  Work,  143. 

Beryllus,  Bishop  of  Bozra,    third  century.)  360-1  (and  note). 

Blackbvirne,  Archdeacon,  W01  ks,  124. 

Boochroyd,  Iranslation  of  the  Scriptures,  153. 

Boston  Review,  (1661,)  117. 

Bower,  Archibald,  History  of  the  Popes,  104-5-6,  126,  229,  237. 

Buck,  Charles,  Theological  Dictionary,  %\, 

Bull.inger,  Anal,  and  Crit.  Lex.  and  Cone,  222. 

Bush,  George,  Life  of  Mohammed ,  377-8,  381-4,  391. 

Caranza,  Stitnuia  Conciliornm,  121,  122. 

Chamber's  Encyclopcrdia,  397. 

Chesney,  Francis  Rawdon,  Exped.  to  the  Euphrates,  375,  397. 

Clarke.Dr.  Adam,  Commentary  on  the  Scriptures,  34,  291  (note). 

Clement,  of  Alexandria,  (second  century,)  33. 

Coke,  Di-.  Thomas,  Commentary  on  the  Scriptures,  316. 

Conant,  Thomas  J.,  D.D.,  A^n.  'Bib.  Union  Ed.  of  Genesis,  112. 

Conder,  Josiah,  Missionary  Annual,  (1883.)  24S. 

C(7//«^^^//5/t',  (Notes,)  209,  210,  211. 

Council  of  Lateran,  (a.d.  1513,)  122. 

Council  of  Vienne,  (a.d.  1311-1313,)  121,  122. 

Creasy,  Sir  Edward  S.,  Ottoman  Turks,  393. 

Croly,  George,  LL.D. ,  On  the  Apocalypse,  315- 

Correspondent,  New  York  Independent,  (1871  or  72,)  432. 

Correspondent,  London  Morning  Chronicle,  (1840,)  410,  411. 

Davidson,  Samuel,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Intro,  to  Study  of  New  Test.,  34. 
D'Anglas,  Boissv,  French  political  Reformer,  320,  32  r. 
D'Aubigne,  J.  H.  M.,  History  of  the  Reformation,  142,  143. 
DeBesse,  Turkish  Empire,  ,^77,  387-8-9,  395. 
Devins,  R.  M.,  Our  First  Century,  232. 
Durivage,  Cyclopedia  of  History,  247. 

Ecclair,  (French  Journal — Revolutionary  Era,)  311,  319. 
Emphatic  Diaglott,  Trans.  New  Test.,  33,  76,  87,  9S,  129.  •3''.  I35. 
151  (note),  194,  197. 

4-J8 


INDEX   OF   AUTHORS,    ETC,  449 

Ertcyclopcsdia  Britannica,  72,  161,  257. 
Epipbanius,  (fourth  century,)  38. 
Eusebius,  (fourth  century,)  39. 

Faber,  On  the  Prophecies,  233. 

Fletcher,  John,  "  Friend  of  Wesley,"  164. 

Gesenius,  Hebrew-Ens:lish  Lexicon,  1T3,  290  (note). 

Gibbon,  Edwaid,  Decl  and  Fall  of  the  Rom.  Enip..  86,  107,  108, 

213,  224,  363  376.  379,  381-3-4-5-6-7-9,  3SO-I-3-6-7,  401,  3. 
Goodrich,  Religious  Ceremonies,  178,  379. 
Goodrich,  8   G. ,  History  of  all  Nations,  414. 
Goodrich,  Charles  A.,  History  of  the  Church,  378,  379 
Grahame.  James,  255. 
Gregory  XVI  ,  Pope,  160. 
Gregory,  Bishop  of  Blois,  320. 

Ha  Ham,  Henry,  Middle  Ages,  398. 

Hase,  Dr.  Charles,  Hist.  Christian  Church,  132,  144. 

Herodotus,  (fifth  century,)  93  (note). 

Herschel,  Sir  William,  232. 

Hudson,  Prof.  C.  F.,  Debt  and  Grace,  82,  93. 

Himes,  Joshua  V.,  440,  441. 

Himes,  William  I/.,  Advent  Christian  Quarterly,  442,  443. 

International  Cyclopedia,  25,  33,  41,  So. 
Irenaeus,  (second  century,)  33,  39. 

Jackson,  S.  M.,  D.D.,  'Lh-'D.,  Johnson's  Umver.  Ency.,  39. 
Jamieson,  Fausset  and  Brown,  Commentary,  73. 
Johnson's  ( yclopedia,  126,  220,  221. 
Justiu  Martj-r,  (second  century,)  33,  132. 

Kett,  Henry,  History  French  Revolution ,  319,  323. 

Kitto,  John,  D.D.,  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical  Literature,  39,  112. 

Keith,  Signs  of  the  Times,  (quoting  Gibbon,)  381. 

Lamartine,  A.  M.  L,.  P.,  History  of  the  Girondists,  230. 

Lardner,  Nathaniel,  Credibility  of  the  Gospels,  133. 

Lardner,  Dr.,  Outlines  of  History,  381. 

Lamed,  J.  N.,  History  for  Ready  Reference,  143,  144,  147. 

Lecroix,  in  Ecclair,  (French  Journal,)  311,  319. 

Leo  X.,  Pope,  (1513-1531,)  122. 

Litch,  Josiah,  Prophetic  Expositions,  164-5,  279-281,  407,  414. 

Liither,  Martin,  Works,  123,  140,  I4r,  147. 

Loudon  Morning  Herald,  (1840,)  413. 

Marsh,  John,  D.D.,  Ecclesiastical  History,  230-231. 
Martindale,  Miles,  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  40,  98. 
McCabe,  J.  D.,  History  of  the  World,  136-7,  144-5,  146-7. 
McCulloch,  J.  H.,  Recast  of  the  Credib.  of  the  Soipt.,  132-3. 
Merivale,  Charles,  Hist,  of  the  Romans  under  the  Empire,  39. 
Milton,  John,  (seventeenth  century,)  151. 


45<5  INDEX  OF   AUTHORS,    ETC. 

Monitetcr  Ottoman,  (Turkish  Journal — 1840,)  408. 
More,  Sir  Thomas,  (  The  Dialogue,)  124. 
Mosheim,  J.  L.,  Ecclesiastical  History,  40,  356-362. 

Newton,  Bishop  Thomas,  38. 

Newton,  Sir  Isaac,  Observatiofis  on  the  Apocalypse,  33. 

Noel,  Hon.  Gerard,  231,  232. 

Ockley,  Simon,  History  of  the  Saracens,  384. 
Origen,  (third  century,)  356-7-8-9-360-1-2-3-4. 

Parkhurst,  J.  M.  A.,  Hebrew  and  English  Lexicon,  11 1. 

Patton,  William,  D.D.,  Editor  Cottage  Testament,  72,  427. 

Pond,  Enoch,  History  of  God's  Church,  369. 

Porter,  Sir  James,  Turkey:  Its  History  and  Progress,  375. 

Presby  erian  Quarterly,  (i860,)  117 

Pressense,  Edward  de.  Religion  and  the  Reign  of  Terror,  "z-iii,,  310. 

Redhead,  History  of  France,  237,  238,  313. 
Robinson,  Greek  and  English  Lexicon,  131. 
Robinson,  Bible  Dictionary,  352. 

Rolteck,  Karl,  History  of  the  World,  121,  212,  213,  219. 
Rowan,  History  of  the  French  Revolution,  234,  318. 
Roy,  W.  L.,  Exposition  of  the  Book  of  Revelation,  38. 

Savage.  C.  C,  The  World,  Geograph.,  Histor.  and  Statis.,  434,  435. 

SrhafF,  Philip,  D.D.,LL.D.,  SchaffHetzog  Encycl.,  106,  161,  174. 

Septuagint,  (Greek)  Old  Testament,  113. 

Sharpe,  Samuel,  Translation  Old  Testament,  \oj. 

Shedd,  W.  G.  T.,  D.D.,  History  of  Christian  Doctrine,  106. 

Smith,  William,  LL.D.,  History  of  the  Bible,  34. 

student's  Encyclopccdia,  72,  79,  81,  105,  145-6. 

Student's  France,  247,  317,  433. 

Suetonius,  (second  centur}-,)  40. 

Tafel,  Translation  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  289 

Taylor,  Jane,  266. 

Tertullian,  (second  century,)  38,  132. 

Theophilus,  of  Antioch,  (second  century,)  33. 

Tillotson,  Archbishop,  Sermons,  in. 

Tomlinson,  Cyclopcedia  of  Useful  Arts,  402. 

Tyndale.  William,  (sixteenth  century,)  Works,  124,  129. 

Tytler,  Alexander  F-.,  Universal  History,  399. 

Vinet,  Prof.  A.  R.,  Character  of  the  Gospel,  iir. 

Wells,  Things  not  Generally  Known,  402. 

Whelpley,  Samuel,  M.A.,  Compend.  of  History,  87,  206-7,  2:9. 
Wishart,  George,  (the  Maityr,  i6th  century,)  125,  254. 
Wolff,  Joseph, y(3«r«a/  (quoted  by  Litch),  165. 

Young,   Robert,  LLD.,  Analytical  Bible  Concor.,  98,  290  (note). 


INDEX 


OF 


Subjects  not  directly  mentioned  in  the  text :  as  a  rule 
textual  subjects  must  be  looked  for  in  the  order  of 
exposition . 


Abominalion  of  Defolation  — 
The,  its  rise  outlined  iu  chap- 
ters vii.  aud  xv. ;  citations  on, 
301-2,  367-369. 

Abraham — how  he  saw  Christ, 
134 ;  father  of  the  Hebrew 
kingdom,  157-8. 

Advent  Movement — The,  164, 
279 ;  the  Mighty  Angel  of, 
273  ;  organized,  276  ;  world- 
wide, 286-7  ;  mistake  pardon- 
able, 287  ;  half  a  century  old, 
288  ;  not  all  wrong,  289  ;  ex- 
plained, 427. 

Age-to- come — doctrine  of,  erro- 
neous, 45-6,  190-1. 

Ahab — King  of  Israel,  ico.ioi. 

Alpha  and  Omega,  51,  57. 

Alliance — The,  Evangelical, doc- 
trinal basis  of,  161;  Hoi}',  247, 
420,  432. 

Amurath  II.,  387. 

Angel — medium  of  communica- 
tion, 32  ;  the  term  defined,  69  ; 
"mighty,"  rainbow,  identi- 
fied, 270-71  ;  human  and  im- 
perfect, 272,  279,  287-90,  416, 
426. 

Antichrist— The  (Man  of  Sin), 
recognized,  147  ;  rise  of,  220; 
personified,  221. 


Auti-secet — voicts,  56. 

Apostolic  Benediction,  45. 

Apostasy  —  Church  charged 
with,  85  ;  of  Catholic  priests, 
236  ;  of  the  infidel  Conven- 
tion, 318. 

Arians,  102,  125,  126,  369. 

.\sia — definition  of,  61. 

Attributes — the  Divine,  106. 

Autos — better  use  of,  128,  130. 

Baptist — ^John,  335  ;  ministry  of, 

339- 

Benediction — The,  of  Apostolic 
Epistles,  45. 

Reryllus — the  Good,  in  conflict 
with  Origin,  the  Bad,  360-62. 

Bible — The,  on  existence  of  God, 
117;  papal  bulls  against,  140, 
147,  160;  early  translations  of, 
148  ;  scarcity  of,  257  ;  power 
of,  258 ;  societies,  origin  of, 
324-5  ;  many  others,  325-6  ; 
doctrinal  basis  of,  161  ;  a  glo- 
rious triumph,  326. 

Blood — literal  sense  of,  29,  350. 

Brief  of  Pius  VI.,  237. 

Carbonari — society  of,  422. 
Censoriousness — charge   of,  re- 
futed, 281. 


451 


452 


INDEX   OF  SUBJECTS. 


Charles  V.,  141,  142. 

Christ — a  king  de  facto,  47;  iu 
the  Davidianline,  48-9  ;  iu  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  51-3,  85  ; 
in  Paradise  (symbolic),  76-7  ; 
throne  antagonized,  85 ;  no 
preexistent  life,  108,  125;  a 
new  divine- human  seed,  109- 
deified  by  Rome  before  glori 
fied  by  God,  115-6;  did  not 
assume,  but  was  made  flesh, 
128  ;  did  not  assist  in  Crea. 
tion,  129 ;  divine  manhood  of, 
131-2  ;  how  seen  by  Abraham, 

134- 

Christology — of  the  Creeds,  106  ; 
of  the  Scriptures,  175  ;  unity 
oftheSonof  God  and  of  Mary, 
176. 

Church — in  the  wilderness,  52  ; 
union  with  State,  97  ;  formal 
union,  104,  217,  368;  renais- 
sance of,  321. 

Churchianity — ant  agonizing 
Christiauity,  84,  171-2;  356, 
358-9,  404.  ■• 

Claudius — Nero  Caesar,  38,  39. 

Confusion — of  dates,  secret  of, 
36. 

Constantine — conversion  of,  86, 
90.  96,  355;  apostasy  of,  217, 
367. 

Constitution  —  New  Civil, 
(France,  1790.)  234,(of  I795.) 
320  ;  character  of,  321. 

Council--of  Nice,  90;  Constan- 
tinople, 105;  Chalcedon,  105, 
107 ;  Ephesus,  107 ;  Vienna, 
121  ;  Lateran,  122. 

Covenanters— Scottish,  Barber 
and  Graham  on,  255. 


Creed  —  The,  first  stumbling 
stone,  90;  exalted  above  the 
Word,  97  ;  how  its  influence 
is  harmful,  99  ;  makers  of,  de- 
ceived, 102;  substance  of  sec- 
ond edition  of,  106 ;  text  (in 
part)  of  the  first,  126;  all 
came  from  Romanism,  107  ; 
spirit  of,  160;  darkness  and 
bigotry  of,  369. 

Daniel's  Prophecy — why  sealed, 
22. 

Date — of  the  Revelation,  34  ; 
early  church  testimony,  38  ; 
clue  to,  71  ;  true  date,  72  ;  date 
right,  event  wrong,  425. 

Dates  — confusion  of,  36;  dia- 
gram of,  323. 

Day — the  I^ord's  or  Gospel,  54, 
337-8;  of  small  things,  268. 

Death,  second,  81,  82 ;  trespass 
and  penal,  83. 

Delusion — strong,  following  un- 
belief, 102. 

Diagram  —  Chronological,  64  ; 
of  periods,  323. 

Diet  at  Worms,  141. 

Divinity — Doctors  of,  ic6. 

Doctrine — of  Balaam,  88;  Jeze- 
belitic,  102  ;  taken  for  grant- 
ed, III  ;  corrupt,  270-1. 

Dragon — The,  88,  102,205;  bind- 
ing of,  309,  323  (see  diagram 
and  note),  330;  loosed,  238; 
his  war  upon  the  witnesses, 
308-317. 

Earth — iu  contrast  with  heaven 
205 ,  fire  cast  into,  336,  343, 
345t 


INDEX    OF   SUBJECTS. 


453 


Earthquake — defined,  227-8  ;  as 
seen  by  historians,  228-9  ;  re- 
ligious effects  of,  232-3  ;   de- 
stroys a  tenth  part  of  the  great 
city,  326-7  ;  at  First  Advent, 
similar,  336 ;   political   effect 
of,  432  ;  of  1848,  433-5- 
Empire — The    Greek,    seduces 
the  Church,  97  ;  Holy  Roman, 
141,   367  ;    shivered,    145  ;    in 
Italy,    France,  Spain,   146-7  ; 
dominated      by     the      Papal 
Church  and  Justinian  Code  of 
laws,  217;  civil  power  decays 
in  the  Eastern,  the  ecclesias- 
tical rises  in  the  Western,  218- 
19.     Rise  of  the  Ottoman,  and 
assault  on  the  Greek,  386-8  ; 
period  of  restraint,  384-7,  397  ; 
rapid   conquests   of,  389 ;   its 
"  holy  war,"  393  ;  source  and 
elements  of  its  armies,  396-7  ; 
period  of  supremacy,  394,  397, 
405,    414 ;     loss    of   indepen- 
dence, 398  ;  submits  to  foreign 
intervention,  408  ;   drops  out 
of  specijic  prophecy,  415,  435. 
Elijah — type  of  true  Church,  loi . 
Epoch— of    Moslem     invasion, 
373;    of  supremacy,   394;   of 
the  "mighty"  Rainbow  An- 
gel, 416. 
Era — Christian,  337-8,  341;  Con- 
stantinian,     354;     Justinian, 
366. 
Error — a    fountain    of,    116  ;    a 
shield  for,  117  ;  of  the  fourth 
century, 356. 
Errorist — Origen  the  great,  360. 
Eutychiau  Theory,  105, 


Excepliou  —  to  the  symbolic 
rule:  the  teu  days,  80:  one 
hour,  162  ;  half  hour,  263  ;  the 
1000,  1290  and  1335  years'  pe- 
riods, 2S9-90  ;  Euphrates  of 
ch.  ix.  14,  395  ;  two  hundred 
million,  399. 

Exposition — underlying  princi- 
ples of,  28  ;  safe,  31. 

Fire — Explanation  of,  65 ;  in 
Zion,  346-7;  in  Bab^lou,  347. 
In  Israel,  348-50 ;  origin  of 
the  Gehe7iva,  349  ;  and  typi- 
cal of  the  "  Lake  of,"  82,  349  ; 
Greek,  400 ;  composition  of, 
401  ;  origin  of,  402. 

Figures — similar,  238-9;  hyper- 
bole, 240-2  ;  parallel,  252-3, 
257-S,  418. 

First-born — of  the  dead,  47. 

God — ^His  existence  proved,  117. 
Go.d — girdles  of,  etc.,  explain- 
ed, 65. 
Gospel  day— age,  537. 
Gunpowder,  400;  Chinese,  402. 

Hadl'S — ^(grave-land),    soul    not 

left  iu,   no  ;   Clarke  on,  221  ; 

Bullinger  on,  222. 
Hail — explained,     260     (note)  , 

342-3  ;  great,  437. 
Heaven — kingdom    of,   51-3,    a 

vision  of,  185-194  ;  in  contrast 

with  "  earth,"  205. 
Hebrews— Jews,  wandering, 

352-3- 

Hell — see  hades,  and  sheol. 

Heresy  —  Neronian,  37;  mis- 
named by  Jezebel,  103,  254, 
368  ;  by  Dr.  Pond,  369. 


454 


INDEX   OF   SUBJECTS. 


Images  —  woisliip  of,  iu  tie 
Catholic  Church,  404  ;  break- 
ing of,  a  "heresy"  iu  the 
Catholic  Churcli,  404. 

Immortality — to  be  sought  in 
"hidden  manna,"  a  gift  of 
Christ,  92  ;  not  inherited,  92- 
3;  natural  possession,  first 
taught  in  Egypt,  93  (and  note); 
not  taught  in  the  Bible,  iii; 
a  subject  of  hope,  116;  how 
obtained,  120;  how  taught  in 
heathen  schools,  121  ;  belief 
in,  enforced  by  Rome,  121-22; 
denied  b}'  Luther,  123 ;  by 
Tyndale,  124;  by  Wishart, 
125  ;  in  Christ,  not  in  the 
soul,  123,  260,  362. 

Incarnation — The,  theory,  12S. 

Infidel — wrath  praises  God,  213  ; 
king,  233  ;  constitution,  234  ; 
books,  235  ;  Republic,  238. 

Interpretation — schools  of,  25. 

Inqiiisition — The,   103,  224,  404. 

Israel — on  fire,  347-50;  wander- 
ers, 352-3.  * 

Jezebel — a  type  of  apostasy,  98, 
loi  ;  her  doctrines  identify 
her  children,  135,  137,  177. 

Judgments — upon  Jezebel,  135- 
6;  upon  Catholic  kings,  136- 
7,  144 ;  on  the  papal  system,  f 
237-8,  428-9. 

Justinian — Catholic  emperor,  96  [ 
-7  ;   his  noted  Code  of  laws, 
104,   217,   323;   a   persecutor, 
367  ;  his  vanity,  36S.  j 

Key — words,  22,  61  ;  as  a  sym-  i 
bol,  66;  of  David,  157,  199,  ! 
keynote  of  Revelation,  49.         i 


Keys — of  the  kingilom,  52-3. 

Kenotic  Theory — The,  106, 

Kingdom  of  heaven — glimpses 
of,  47-9,  51-3  ;  not  carnal,  74  ; 
paradise  its  sj'mbol,  76-7  ; 
three  phases  of,  157-8;  like 
ten  virgins,  etc.,  163 ;  given 
over  to  the  beast,  207,  241, 
417-8;  retaken  through  judg- 
ments, 242,  418-20,  429. 

Knocking — at  the  Church's  door 
by  the  signs  of  the  Advent, 

177-79.  436-7- 
Koran—The,  374-5-6,  379,  393. 
Kosiuos — (World,    order,   etc.), 

52. 

Lake  of  fire — 82  (and  note),  349, 
242. 

League— The  Holy,  144  ;  Prot- 
estant, 143. 

Leipsic  discussion,  142. 

Liar — making  God  a,  93. 

Lie — The,  of  Eden,  116;  lyiu<j, 
spirit,  102. 

Lightning,  192,  276,  336. 

Logos — the  term  defined,  128; 
the  creative  agency,  129-30. 

Luther — at  the  Diet  at  Worms, 
141. 

Man — distinguished  from  the 
animal  by  intellect,  not  soul, 
113  ;  the  term  "mere  man  " 
defined,  132. 

Manhood  —  of  Jesus,  divine, 
131-2. 

Man  of  sin,  147;  rise  of,  220. 

Martyrs — to  paganism,  8r  ;  to 
Romanism,  150-1,  222-4  ;  Mil- 
ton's prayer  for,  151. 


INDEX   OF  SUBJECTS. 


455 


Mehemet  Ali — war  with  the  Sul- 
tan of  Turkey,  470. 

Melchisedec  —  the  anlitypical, 
reign,  182-3. 

Milan -Edict  of,  38. 

Military  school — Turkiih,  401. 

Millennium — theory  of,  unsus- 
tained  in  Scripture,  45-6  (with 
note),  190-1. 

Mohammed — history     of,    374  ; 
his   blasphemy,  375 ;   natural  I 
leadership,    376;    plan,    377; 
conquests,  379-81. 

Moslemism — menaces  the  Aus- 
trian Empire,  382  ;  torments 
the  Greek,  384-393  ;  one-third 
destroys  it,  394-405. 

Monarchies — mad,  420-24. 

Motherhood  —  confessed,  107; 
and  rebuked,  108. 

Mother  Eve — willful  spirit  of, 
278. 

Names  —  significance  of,  61  ; 
changed  with  change  of  char- 
acter, 91,  95;  of  men  slain, 
328-9. 

Nature — of  man,  92-94,  1 10-116; 
of  Christ,  105-110;  a  second 
not  a  dual,  109,  128 ;  the  di- 
vine cannot  die,  no. 

Napoleon  I. — his  influence^ 
421-5. 

Nephesh  —  (soul,     life,     being)   I 
subject  to  death,  110-12,225-6. 
(See  Soul.) 

Nero — Emperor,  37-41. 

Nicholaitan  —  derivation ,  73  ; 
doctrine,  91  ;  spirit  not  in  the 
Apostles,  74-5. 

Numbers — the  heavenly,  and  the 
earthly,  63-4.  1 


Origeii — the  Krrorist,  356-360. 

Origin — of  Trinilarianism,  107. 

Orthodoxy — arraigned,  99,  100, 
270. 

Osman  (Othman) — Founds  the 
Ottoman  Empire,  387;  as- 
saults the  Greek,  388,  393. 

Paganism — (the  dragon),  79,  85, 
8S,  90,  99-101,  309,  330;  in 
the  Church,  356,  358,  404 ; 
pagan  Rome,  218. 

Paleologus,  Jolin,  and  Constan- 
tiue,  387. 

Paradelos—ih^  Holy  Spirit,  151 
(note) ;  Mahomet's  claim  to, 
375-6. 

Paradise — a  symbol  of  the  king- 
dom, 76-7. 

Paradox — a  prophetic,  218. 

Patmos — the  Isle  of,  53  ;  John's 
banishment  to,  39. 

Paths — Old,  discovered,  250. 

Peace  —  prophetic  with  the 
Prophets,  46  (note)  ;  present 
with  the  Apostles,  45-6;  of 
Westphalia,  144. 

Periods  —  prophetic.  (See 
Years.) 

Peiseculion  —  ten  pagan,  .80, 
209;  Romanist,  150. 

Phranza — Greek  historian,  387. 

Platonism — in  Catholic  Schools 
and  Councils,  121  ;  in  Creeds, 
132-3-5.  358-9:  in  hymns,  275, 
359- 

Popery — rising  spirit  of,  73,  97. 

Power — civil,  delegation  of,  207, 
21S,  241  ;  revocation  of,  242, 
417-8;  restraining,  247. 


456 


INDEX    OF    SUBJECTS. 


Prt  calculated — the  Ottomai]  pe- 
riod of  Supremacy,  406. 

Preexistence— of  Christ,  notper- 
sonal,  108,  125-32 ;  of  His 
children  in  same  prophetic 
sense,  135  ;  origin  of  popular 
view,  214. 

Principles — of  exposition,  28  ; 
safe,  31. 

Principle — A,  unrecognized  in 
exposition,  133. 

Proclamation — a  worldwide, 
165,    425;    7th   trumpet,   428, 

437- 

Prophetic  sense  —  Importance 
of,  133-4 ;  analogous  descrip- 
tioas,  240-1,  252-3,  257-8,  418. 

Psuche — (soul,  life,  being)  sub- 
ject to  death,  no,  225  ;  to  de- 
struction, III.     (See  Soul.) 

Reign  of  Christ — restored  Da- 
vidian  throne,  47-S ;  throne 
of  glory,  52-3.  185  ;  a  real 
kingdom,  189;  an  associated 
reign,  190 -i  ;  power  *over  or 
keys  of  death,  of  David,  199- 
202  ;  rejoicing  over,  419-20. 

Reign  of  Terror — The,  317,  319. 

Renaissance — of  the  Church, 
156,  in  France,  319,  322. 

Revival — Popular  methods,  faul- 
ty, 265. 

Revelation — a  key  word,  20;  de- 
fined, 26;  proper,  28,  57. 

Revolution  —  French,  reaction 
of,  156 ;  a  symbolic  earth- 
quake, 228-30;  religious  ef- 
fects of,  232-3  ;  end  of  second 
woe,  405,  420,  432. 

Rifat  Bey,  409. 


Robes — white,  154,  162;  "ascen- 
sion robes"  falsitj',  166;  the 
true,  227,  and  Appendix  B. 

Roll — Fzekiel's,  eating  of,  89. 

Ruach  —  (spirit)  defined,  113; 
Eng.  renderings,  114;  philo- 
logical unfairness  of  the  later 
lexicons,  114-5.    (See  Spirit  ) 

Saints — misnamed  heretics,  103, 
254,  368-9  ;  war  on,  222-4. 

Sanctuary — misunderstood,  426; 
explained,  427-9;  cleansed 
typically,  430;   antitypically, 

431- 

Saracens,  The,  381,  385,392,  396. 

Schools — 01  interpretation,  25. 

Scholastic  Theology,  359. 

Second  death,  81-3. 

Shekinah — (Divine  glory),  304. 

Sheol — (Hell,  grave-land)  soul 
not  left  in,  no.    (See  Hades.) 

Sealing — in  the  forehead  ex- 
plained, 248-9,  250-1. 

Sealed — The,  identified,  253-4. 

Signify — a  key  word,  20,  26-7. 

Seven — Symbolic  factors  of,  63  ; 
seven  series  of,  64. 

Society,  Carbonari,  422.  (See 
Bible.) 

Soul — Natural  immortality  of, 
first  taught  in  Egypt,  93  ;  He- 
rodotus on,  93  (note)  ;  subject 
to  death,  jio  225-7;  destruc- 
tion, III  ;  intellect  not  a  fac- 
ulty of,  113,  denying  immor- 
tality of,  condemned  by  popes 
and  councils,  12 1-2  ;  Luther 
on,  123;  Luther,  Tyudale  and 
Wishart,on  the  sleep  of,  124-5; 


INDEX   OF   SUBJECTS. 


457 


the  Roman  "balances"  and 
what  was  weighed,  213-4; 
future  life  of,  depends  on 
Christ  and  the  Resurrection, 
123,  260,  362  ;  native  value  of 
overestimated,  265. 

Spirit — (original  terms)  intel- 
lect not  a  faculty  of,  113  ;  how 
the  later  Lexicons  treat,  114- 
5  ;  the  H0I3',  a  Helper,  151 
(note)  ;  not  a  person,  250- 1> 
356  (and  note). 
— of  the  19th  century,  160. 
— of  life  from  God,  322. 

Strong  Delusion — following  un- 
belief, 102-3. 

Stumbling  stone — first  creed,  90. 

Stones  of  fire,  76. 

Symbols  —  Divine  explanation 
of,  29;  variety  of,  31;  first 
lesson  in,  58. 

Symbolic — fire,  65  :  eating,  89 ;  j 
time,  10 1 ;  earthquake,  432. 

Sj'mbolism — a  fixed  rule  of  en- 
tirety, 27  ;  same  explained, 
29  ;  proofs  of,  187. 

Tesserae,  95. 

Throne — of    David,    of    glory, 

48-9  (type  references),  52-3; 

of  grace,    202  ;   in   the,   with 

Christ,  181-2  ;  a  vision  of,  186- 

94  ;   key  or   power  of  David, 

157-9- 
Thrones— twelve  Apostolic,  52  ; 

a  present  enthronement,  and 

limited  reign,  182-3. 

Thunder,  192,  272,  336, 


Time — symbolic,  loi  ;  table  of, 
367  ;  comparative,  274 ;  of  the 
End,  22,  44;  not  the  end  of 
time,  286,  429. 

Tradition,  at  fault,  264 

Tree  of  Life  (Christ),  76   306. 

Trees — two  olive,  304,  305. 

Trial — hour  of,  162,  249,  251. 

Trinitarianism — origin  of,  107, 
116;  rebuked,  108;  teachers 
of,  in  error,  128-9,  224. 

Truth— power  of,  258  ;  a  test  of 
faith,  hail  a  symbol  of,  260. 

Types — (of  David's  throne),  49  ; 
(of  Christ),  92  ;  of  conditions 
in  the  Gospel  Church,  98, 
loo-i  ;  in  sparing  a  third  part, 
222  ;  in  Isaiah's  vision,  238  ; 
in  Solomon's  acts,  299,  330. 

Ultimatum — concerning  Turko- 
Egj'ptian  war,  409,  410. 

Union— of  Church  and  State, 
104. 

Virgins — The  ten,  163;  discov- 
ery of  the  "wise,"  250,  270; 
"slept  "  prophetically,  263. 

Visibility  of  the  Advent,  50. 

Vision— The  Royal,  58,  65. 

Voices — anti-secret,  55-6,  192, 
276,  336,  432. 

War — on  the  Saints,   222-4  ;  on 
Rome,   231  ;    by   the   dragon 
235  ;    on   the   witnesses,   309,- 
367-8  ;  of  Turkey  and  Egypt, 
407. 

Watching — an  imperative  duty, 
179-80 ;  a  test  of  faith,  274. 


458 


INDEX   OP  SUBJECTS. 


Westphalia — Peace  of,  136,  144. 
Wilderness— Church  in,  52. 
Winds— holding  the  four,  245-7  i 

Conder  on,  248. 
Witnesses — the  two,   47,  302-7; 

war  on,  309,  367-8;   triumph 

of,  330-32- 
Witness — of  the  water,  271. 
Word  of  God — power  of,  145. 
Worms — Diet  at,  140. 


}'ainii)i — (daj^s  or  years),  290 
(note). 

Years — 1260,  100,  104,  135,  150, 
301  ;  1290  and  1335  (Dan.  xii. 
11-13),  289-91;  150,  of  Otto- 
man restraint,  384-7  ;  391,  15 
days,  Ottoman  agencies 
loosed, 405-414. 

Zion- — Mount,  on  fire,  346. 
Zoe — (life),  12-3  (note). 


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